Serendipity
by weezerz2490
Summary: She always did have an incredible sense of timing. For instance, out of all the times she had to pick to visit Japan, it just had to be when a psychotic ex-shinigami with a god complex was trying to turn a certain town into the next spiritual Chernobyl. Now, in a race against the clock, it'll take more than just a little 'serendipity' to overcome this crisis... or will it?
1. Prologue

Author's note: This will mostly be based on the manga, but it might have some elements of the anime added in.  
I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

"English speech"**  
**"Japanese speech"  
'Thoughts'  
-~- Scene transition and/or time lapse  
**Setting/scene**  
Flashbacks and changes in POVs will be labeled as needed (unless stated otherwise, it will be third person omniscient)  
SOUND EFFECTS WILL BE IN ALL CAPS

* * *

**_Prologue_**

* * *

**Nine Years Ago**  
**Karakura Town, Japan**  
**Nighttime at Urahara Shōten**

A little girl sniffed as she tried to keep the tears that were forming in her eyes from falling, and she pulled the covers of her futon up, hiding herself in their warmth and safety.

"Daddy… you dummy…" She sobbed quietly.

He had left her behind.

She knew he wouldn't ever really abandon her, but it had still been scary watching him leave… After saying goodbye, he had walked away without even looking back, just like her mother had the day she left them. Her dad had left her with an old friend of his, Urahara Kisuke. Urahara-san was a little strange, but he and Tessai-san had been very nice to her so far. She was glad Urahara was always joking around, because it kept her from thinking about how much she missed her dad… at least, until she was left alone like this. She had never been separated from her dad for this long before, and Hiyori-nee was usually the one who looked after her while he was out. When her dad had decided to send her to Urahara's place after she told him about the strange dreams she kept having about someone asking her to call their name, she had found it a little strange that he wouldn't just teach her about it himself, since he was certain that her zanpakutō was somehow calling out to her, despite the fact that she was still alive and well. And, when she had started to protest being sent all the way from America to Japan without him, he had explained to her that he had never heard of this happening to a living human before, and that her circumstances were special due to her heritage, as well as how Urahara Kisuke had been the one who saved him and the other Visoreds before. If anyone could figure it out, it would be him. Even Hiyori-nee, had praised him in her own unique way… Although, she had also lent her one of her slippers and told her to smack Urahara with it if he got too annoying… Even so, it was obvious they all trusted him, and they rarely put that much faith in anyone outside of their small group. So, she had reluctantly agreed to part from her dysfunctional family for a while. They would all be busy taking care of something else anyway, and they had insisted it would have been too dangerous for her to come along with them anyway. She knew they all cared for her and were just trying to protect her, but still...

It was hard, being left behind.

"Seren-chan?"

Seren froze inside her warm cocoon of bedcovers when she heard Urahara-san's voice. He had entered the room without making a sound, and she hadn't even sensed his reiatsu until just now… and, judging by his gentle tone and the concern she could hear in his voice, he must have heard her crying. She hadn't meant for that to happen. She quickly wiped her eyes before poking her head out from under the covers to face the older man.

"I-I'm sorry, Urahara-san… I just had a nightmare. I didn't realize I was being so loud…" She apologized meekly as she gave him a sheepish smile. She didn't want to worry him. To her surprise, he frowned slightly at her in disapproval.

"Seren-chan, even if you try to pretend everything's all right, I know you've been crying yourself to sleep for the past three nights." Urahara stated calmly as he sat down beside her futon and looked her in the eyes. "You're not the type to cry so easily over a nightmare, so why don't you tell me what's really bothering you. I won't force you to talk about it if you really don't want to, but if Shinji knew I was letting his precious daughter cry like this, he'd never forgive me." He added, smiling kindly at her.

Seren blushed shyly, furrowing her brow slightly as she pouted, and avoided his gaze, a little embarrassed. She thought he was going a little overboard with the 'never forgive me' part, but she knew he was right. If her dad knew she was crying, he'd be really worried and upset since he tended to overreact sometimes…

"I know that… I know that my dad really cares about me." She said quietly as she gripped the bedcovers. "He's always taken care of me as best as he could. I know he loves me, but… sometimes, it feels like he's somewhere far away, even when he's right next to me. Even though we're father and daughter, we're different. Daddy, Hiyori-nee, and the others are all struggling with something that 'outsiders' will probably never be able to fully understand, myself included. I don't know if they're even aware of it or not, but I can feel it. It's so thin that it's barely even noticeable, but they've all put up a wall between themselves and the outside world. I get the feeling they were hurt pretty badly in the past, so I know that it's there for their own protection, because that's just how deeply they've been hurt… but still… it's lonely… knowing the people you love won't let you in. It's scary, and I can't help but be afraid that I might get left behind someday… but I haven't told him any of this because I don't want to give him anything else to have to worry about…"

Urahara placed his hand on top of her head. Seren tensed slightly at first from the unexpected contact, but then she relaxed slightly, feeling a little comforted by the familiar gesture. Her father often patted her on the head like this, too.

"No wonder you're so upset. I could tell you were sharp from how quickly you've been learning during our lessons, but you're a lot more sensitive than I gave you credit for." Urahara said sympathetically. She was so mature and understanding for such a small child, that it was hard to believe she was really only nine-years old. "You really understand them. It's true that they've had a hard time opening up to others ever since that incident, but if you talk to Shinji the way you're talking with me now, then I'm sure he'll come to understand your feelings as well. He'll never be able to fix what's wrong if you keep hiding how lonely you are from him." He said, smiling kindly at her as she stared up at him.

"I guess…" Seren replied a little reluctantly. She was hesitant to admit her insecurities to the one who was unintentionally causing them, but she knew Urahara was probably right. Nothing would change if she just kept quiet about it.

"Well, don't worry too much, Seren-chan. If it doesn't work out with your father, maybe I'll take responsibility and marry you when you're a little older. That way, you'll have a family of your own to take care of, so you won't have anytime to feel lonely~!" Urahara said slyly, trying to lighten the mood.

"Eh!" Seren exclaimed, blushing furiously. She knew he had to be teasing her, but somehow... it felt like he was only half joking. Well, even so… Seren found that she didn't exactly hate the idea… She glanced shyly at him as she gave him a small but genuine smile. "You're weird, Urahara-san…" she said, laughing a little.


	2. Eyes Of The Unkown

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

"English speech"**  
**"Japanese speech"  
'Thoughts'  
-~- Scene transition and/or time lapse  
**Setting/scene**  
Flashbacks and changes in POVs will be labeled as needed (unless stated otherwise, it will be third person omniscient)  
SOUND EFFECTS WILL BE IN ALL CAPS

* * *

**__****_Eyes of the Unknown  
_**

* * *

**Present Day  
Karakura Town, Japan**

The moon shone brightly against the dark night sky over Karakura, outlining the silhouette of a lone figure perched on top of a telephone pole.

"Huh. What's this? Such a cruddy little town…" The blond man said boredly, clicking his tongue in disappointment. He leapt off of the pole and descended to the streets below. "… I don't know why she's so attached to this place."

**The Next Morning  
Just Outside Urahara Shōten**

"Jinta-kun… can you focus on sweeping…" Ururu said quietly as she paused in her own sweeping to glance over that the hyper boy. He was swing his broom around like a bat again, and she didn't want to have to clean up the front of the shop all by herself.

"Be quiet! This is the 'soccer' that men go crazy for!" Jinta shouted rudely at her as he took another swing. "Shoot!"

"Really…" Ururu said, unimpressed as she watched him flailing around. Since when was soccer played like that? She perked up when she felt a familiar presence close by. "… Seren-san?"

"Yo! Long time, no see, Ururu-chan~!" Seren greeted her cheerfully as she approached the children, carrying a duffle bag. "I see Jinta-kun has just as little self-preservation instincts as ever. If Tessai-san catches you pretending to play baseball while you're supposed to be working…"

"Like you're one to talk!" Jinta snapped defensively, bristling at her comment. "Besides, I'm doing soccer right now, not baseball." He corrected her smugly.

"… It has been rather hot this summer…" Seren said thoughtfully, furrowing her brow slightly as she stared at him with concern and pity, as though she had concluded the recent heat wave must have fried his brain. Since when was soccer played using a broom/bat?

Ururu nodded her head in agreement as she mimicked Seren's expression. A vein throbbed on Jinta's head as he clenched his fist and grit his teeth in irritation.

"Oi! What the heck is _that look_ supposed to mean_!_? Don't copy her, Ururu_!_! You'll catch her stupidity_!_!" He shouted indignantly. These two…! Whenever Seren came to visit, Ururu always got annoyingly cheeky, too!

He flinched guiltily when the shop's doors suddenly flew open, afraid Tessai had just realized that he had been slacking off again.

"Oh~! It _is_ Seren-chan after all~! I thought I heard your dulcet tones~!" Urahara sang excitedly when he saw their visitor. "It feels like it's been _years _since your last visit! Come and give 'Uncle' Kisuke a hug~!" He said playfully as he held out his arms, waiting for the teen to run into his warm embrace.

_PLOP~_

"…" Urahara said as he stared down in disappointment at the bag that she had shoved into his arms instead.

"I've missed you too, Kisuke-san~!" Seren said, mimicking his earlier tone, as she smiled brightly at him. "Look! I've brought souvenirs~!"

"If you miss me then hug me…" Urahara mumbled under his breath as he watched Seren flit around from one person to another, bearing gifts. "She used to be so cute… always running to meet me with an enthusiastic smile on her face…" He said despondently, sniffing a little as he wiped a non-existent tear from his eye.

"What did you expect? She's a teenager now. There's no way she'd want to be seen hugging a dirty old man like you." Yoruichi said teased, snickering when the eccentric shop owner flinched in shock. He had a real soft spot for little 'Seren-chan'. The feline glanced at the young girl and shook her head.

For a genius, Kisuke could be so slow sometimes. Yoruichi had noticed that Seren obviously had a crush on him a long time ago. This was just another example of Seren showing him her own weird sense of reverse-favoritism. Seren tended to dodge Kisuke's hugs so she wouldn't end up blushing and to keep him from noticing how fast her heartbeat was whenever he got too close. She also tended to deflect some of his more affectionate comments by deadpanning really blunt and sarcastic responses to them. Yoruichi was really tempted to say something about it to her childhood friend, but Seren had already made her promise not to tell anyone, _especially_ her father or Urahara.

Besides, it was kind of entertaining to watch his reaction whenever she slipped into her 'kudere' mode.

Urahara knew Yoruichi was just teasing him, but he couldn't help but wonder how much truth there might be in that statement. Seren really had grown over the seven years that he had known her, and she was on her way to becoming a fine woman...

He pushed that thought aside.

As glad as he was to see her again, her timing couldn't have been worse. It had only been a couple of days since Kurosaki Ichigo and the others had returned from Soul Society after saving Kuchiki Rukia.

This was just the calm before the storm now that Aizen had obtained the Hōgyoku. He needed to find a way to persuade Seren to leave without giving away just how dangerous the situation was…

"So, what brings you to Japan, Seren? Did you come all the way here by yourself?" Yoruichi asked curiously. This was the first time she had shown up on their doorstep without a chaperone tagging along to make sure she had gotten there safely.

"What? Do I have to have a reason to visit my favorite peeps in Japan? I just hitched a ride with my dad since he had to come here anyway." Seren replied nonchalantly, before turning to Urahara, She stared knowingly at the handsome and slightly perverted shopkeeper. "I'm sorry for showing up so unexpectedly, but Dad's already filled me in on most of the details, so I figured if I called ahead, you'd probably come up with some lame excuse to try to keep me out of trouble. Too bad, but you won't be able to get rid of me that easily this time."

"Ah, so you figured it out, huh? You know me too well." Urahara said, smiling a little wanly as he carefully observed the girl before him.

He could see the calm but fierce determination and resolve burning in her eyes. She knew how dangerous staying here would be, but she was set on seeing it through. Seren was not the kind of person who could just walk away knowing her friends were in trouble. She was going to do this whether he liked it or not, with or without his help.

"I'm just surprised he agreed to let you come along." He said honestly.

"I think he gave in because he knew I'd just find a way to get here on my own anyway. You know how much I hate being left out while you guys have all the fun." Seren said, grinning cheekily at him. "He said I could stay as long as I was able to convince you to let me. He seems to think I'll be safer here than where they're staying, so can I _please_ stay here with you?" she asked sweetly, gazing up at him with hopeful eyes. She batted her pretty eyelashes at him in a very exaggerated manner. She seemed to be rather amused by the whole situation, particularly the priceless look on Urahara's face. He looked like he had just been told Pluto wasn't really a planet again.

Urahara sighed as he let his head hang in defeat. He knew from experience that nothing he said could possibly make her change her mind once things had come to this point. He might as well let her stay somewhere he would be able to keep an eye on her, rather than having her running around on her own.

"Alright, alright… you win, Seren-chan. I'll let you stay here, as long as you agree to one condition. While you're here, you'll have to work under me as an employee to cover your room and board fees~!" Urahara said, whipping out his fan to hide his smirk. There was a scheming gleam in his eye. "And since I'm the boss, you'll have to listen to what I say. If I tell you to do something, you had better do it. If you disregard my orders and put yourself in unnecessary danger… Well, I won't go into details, but the punishment will undoubtedly leave you slightly traumatized… But I'm sure it won't come to that as long as you behave yourself."

"Hmm… Okay, fair enough." Seren conceded as she nodded in agreement. After all, it was his home and place of business she would be intruding upon, and she wasn't a little kid anymore. She hadn't really been expecting a free ride this time. In fact, she was a little surprised Urahara had given in so easily. He usually put up more of a fight than this… but still, she was a little worried about what Urahara might have planned for her punishment, since she was bound to disobey him sooner or later, but she also knew that if she didn't accept his terms, then he would probably refuse to include her in any of his plans. If her dad found out that she had failed to convince him to let her stay, he would probably use a binding kidō on her and ship her back home in a big box with air holes cut in the sides, just to be sure she had really left.

"Oh? Wow, she actually agreed~! Isn't this great, Tessai-san? We've managed to gain another source of 'free labor'~!" Urahara whispered slyly to the other man, making sure he was still loud enough for Seren to be able to hear. She sweat dropped. She could already see the wheels turning in his head, and this did not bode well for her future.

Maybe she should have just taken her chances against her dad…


	3. Eyes Of The Unkown 2

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

"English speech"  
"Japanese speech"  
'Thoughts'  
[ | ] Scene transition and/or time lapse  
**Setting/scene**  
Flashbacks and changes in POVs will be labeled as needed (unless stated otherwise, it will be third person omniscient)  
SOUND EFFECTS WILL BE IN ALL CAPS

* * *

**_Eyes of the Unknown: Part 2_**

* * *

**Later That Morning,  
Still At The Shop**

"Seren-chan~!" Urahara said cheerfully as he stuck his head into the room she was currently cleaning up, already in work mode. He held up the outfit he had picked out especially for her. "I've brought your unifor—"

FWOMP!

"So why is it a _sexy_ maid costume_!_?" She demanded coolly as she nailed him in the face with the dust rag she had just thrown, vein throbbing on her forehead. "Hmph! Sexually harassing old man..." she huffed indignantly as she turned her back on him and continued sorting out the clutter.

"Now, now. You know I'm just teasing, Seren-chan." Urahara said, winking, as he held up option number two. "I have your real uniform right—"

_WHAMM!_

"…" Urahara said, slightly chagrined, as the magazine that had just slammed in his face slowly slipped down and fell to the floor. He was just holding up a normal t-shirt with the shop's logo on it, just like the ones Ururu, Jinta, and Tessai were all wearing… just what had he done wrong _this_ time?

"Urahara-_san_… If you're going to make me play maid like Cinderella… _At least get rid of your dirty magazines first, so I won't have to see them!_!" She shouted with righteous fury as she pointed at the dirty magazine she had just thrown. There was a vein throbbing on her forehead and she was shooting him a steely glare.

Urahara froze like a deer caught in the headlights. He could've sworn he had already disposed of any evidence like that already, since they had to be careful with impressionable kids like Ururu and Jinta in the shop…

Why was such a thing even in the back storeroom, with the rest of the stock, to begin with?

Before Urahara could formulate a reasonable explanation, Seren was already out of the room, as if she were trying to literally run away from reality.

"Hm? Is something wrong, Seren-dono?" Tessai asked as the teen flew past him.

"I-I need some air! And eye-bleach, if anyone's invented it yet!" She shouted in reply as she paused briefly to pull on her sandals before dashing out onto the streets. After receiving such a shock, she needed a little time and space to regain her composure.

"…" Tessai said as he stared after her. The expression on Seren's incredibly red face had been an odd combination of embarrassment, shock, horror, disappointment, and possibly even a little heart break…

Unless he was seeing things…

And just what had she meant by that 'eye-bleach' comment?

[ | ]

Urahara sighed as he picked up the magazine. This was exactly why he had always made sure there wasn't _anything_ like this left in the shop whenever Seren had come to stay with him in the past. He hadn't wanted to be the one responsible for mentally scarring poor Seren or spoiling her innocent naivety by accidentally exposing her to such… naughty and risqué subject material…

Although, come to think of it, she must have eventually learned about the existence of porn _sometime_ over the years, seeing as she grew up around someone like Yadōmaru Lisa…

Urahara stiffened when he took a closer look at the magazine.

It was a special edition that contained XXX-rated material featuring curvaceous brunettes with huge breasts and tan bodies, and they were all wearing strips of fabric that could barely even be justified as _lingerie_…

The pages crinkled as Urahara clenched the magazine in his fist and gritted his teeth. A vein throbbed angrily on his tense jaw.

_No wonder Seren had been so freaked out._

A dark and dangerous aura started to manifest around the normally flippant and laid-back shopkeeper. Not only had this magazine probably left a few mental scars on Seren's psyche, but also, she thought it was _his_—which it most definitely wasn't_._

It was Tessai's.

"_Tessai-san…"_ Urahara muttered darkly as his eyes seemed to take on a demonic gleam. _His assistant manager was a dead man._

[ | ]

"?" Tessai said, a little puzzled when a chill suddenly went up his spine. Why did he suddenly feel like his life was in grave danger…?

[ | ]

**Meanwhile,  
On A Random Street **

'Kisuke, you idiot…!' Seren cried internally as she continued to run.

It wasn't so much discovering that her crush owned dirty magazine that bothered her, but more the fact that the girls in it had all been much older than her, dark-haired, and big-breasted venuses…

_Pretty much her exact opposite in every way._

She already knew she probably didn't stand a chance with him since he always treated her like a child (apart from the occasional joke, like with the maid outfit just now), but to find out that she was no where _near_ being his type had been a huge blow. She shook her head, trying to shoo away the depressing thoughts.

She couldn't let this get to her! She was tougher than this. So what if she wasn't his type? It just meant she'd have to try harder from now on! Though… it would probably help if her automatic response to hide how flustered he sometimes made her feel wasn't to turn into an ice queen and push him away…

Both Seren's thoughts and feet were stopped short when something in her peripheral vision caught her attention. There were two high school students, a tall Hispanic guy and a pretty redheaded girl, who were just standing there and talking to a redheaded shinigami as if it something perfectly normal to do, and she could sense the traces of the spiritual energy of a hollow, so the shinigami must have just defeated it…

But that wasn't what had made her stop. What had _really _gotten her attention was the blond young man wearing the same high school uniform as them and a news cap…

_The one standing upside down… suspended in the middle of the sky… in broad daylight…_

Her jaw dropped as she gaped at him.

What in the name of_ William H. Macy _was he thinking_!_?

"Kurosaki… Ichigo, huh?" Shinji said, smirking as he watched the substitute shinigami and his friends walk away.

Seren continued to stare blankly up at her father in disbelief for a few more minutes, before reaching down to remove one of her sandals. She waited until the other teens had turned the corner and were out of sight to make her move.

_WHACK!_


	4. Eyes Of The Unkown 3

Author's note: To help make it easier to understand when certain events are taking place in context of the canon work, I've decided to start titling each chapter of my fanfic with the same title as the manga chapter it corresponds to. I'll go back and add this to the previous chapters eventually too.

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

"English speech"  
"Japanese speech"  
'Thoughts'  
≤|≥ Scene transition and/or time lapse  
**Setting/scene**  
Flashbacks and changes in POVs will be labeled as needed (unless stated otherwise, it will be third person omniscient)  
SOUND EFFECTS WILL BE IN ALL CAPS

* * *

_**Eyes of the Unknown: Part 3**_

* * *

**Previously:**

"_Kurosaki… Ichigo, huh?" Shinji said, smirking as he watched the substitute shinigami and his friends walk away._

_Seren continued to stare blankly up at her father in disbelief for a few more minutes before reaching down to remove one of her sandals. She waited until the other teens had turned the corner and were out of sight before making her move._

_WHACK!_

* * *

"—_!_?" Shinji shouted in surprise when her practical but stylish footwear slammed into the back of his head with enough force to knock him off balance.

His eyes widened as he whipped his head around to see who his attacker had been. His initial and reflexive reaction was to assume it had been Hiyori, but after that first split-second, he had realized it couldn't be because it hadn't been a flip-flop, and his assailant had been way too stealthy for it to be her. He doubted she even knew the meaning of the word 'subtle'. Still, he was slightly taken aback to see a completely different blond staring back at him.

His sixteen-year-old daughter had an extremely unimpressed look on her face.

"_Oi._ That's one hell of a way for a daughter to greet her _beloved_ father." Shinji said sardonically as he lowered himself to stand on the ground like a normal human being, clearly chagrined.

He rubbed his head as he watched her pull her sandal back on. No wonder it had hurt. The soles of her shoes looked much thicker and harder than Hiyori's. He really shouldn't have let her babysit his cute little girl so often… She was a bad influence.

"And don't throw something like that at people heads! Are you trying to give me brain damage_!_?"

Seren rolled her eyes at his overly dramatic reaction. She had already witnessed him taking hits that were at least _ten times_ worse than that from Hiyori-nee. He'd survive.

"Honestly? I thought you'd dodge it. I'm not _that _good at hiding my presence. Besides, I'd say it's a bit late to be worried about brain damage after seeing that _wonderful_ display of your total lack of common sense. It's numb! Your sense of what's normal as a human being is totally numb! Who just floats in midair like that while wearing a gigai_!_? If you're going to go around blatantly defying the laws of physics, then at least make sure normal people can't see you_!_!" Seren scolded the 110+ year-old man.

They couldn't really do much to prevent spiritually sensitive people from seeing him without it, but anyone who was strong enough to see something on the same level as a shinigami should be used to seeing weird stuff by now, so they should know better than to mention something like that to the people who couldn't.

"Anyway, I'm surprised that no one else noticed you, especially the three peeps that just left. Was that shinigami him, Kurosaki Ichigo?" She asked curiously, raising an eyebrow at him.

She could tell he had some crazy powerful spiritual energy, and the other two weren't too shabby either.

"Oh, that… It's fine. No one ever bothers to look up anyway. You see it all the time in movies." Shinji said carelessly as he waved her worries off. "And yeah, that's him, Kurosaki Ichigo… Wait, what are you doing out here? You know you nearly gave me a heart attack earlier! I thought you might be Hiyori coming after me again… Did Urahara turn you down after all?" He asked, grinning, as he elbowed her in the side playfully. If so, then Love owed him ten bucks.

"No. He said I could stay as long as I promised to do what he tells me." Seren said, frowning slightly. Why did he have to look damned so pleased with himself about the possibility that Urahara might have sent her packing? It was kind of pissing her off.

Shinji's smile faltered slightly.

Damn. Looks like he lost the bet after all…

"Then why are you wondering around here instead of hanging out at the shop?" He asked, furrowing his brow slightly in confusion. She usually stuck to Urahara like glue. In fact, it had been down right annoying when she was younger, because she would even cling to him when it was time to leave. They almost had to pry her off with a crowbar one time…

"Well, I needed some air…" She replied reluctantly, avoiding his eyes. "Let's just say... I saw something that I really wish I hadn't…" she added a little grimly, smiling wanly as the unwanted memory came flooding back.

Ignorance really was bliss…

"What? Don't tell me you found that guy's porno stash or something?" Shinji teased. His laughter died when he saw the look on her face. "Eh? _Seriously!_? … What kind was it?" He asked, whispering in a conspiring tone. He just couldn't help but be curious since even after having known Urahara for over a century, he still couldn't tell what the crafty ex-captain of the twelfth division was thinking half the time. The man was annoyingly hard to read...

"_Don't ask me something like that!_! _It was XXX-rated stuff that not even Lisa-nee would buy!_! And they were all really tan and busty brunette goddesses_!_!" She whisper-yelled back incredulously, still answering despite how appalled she was. "I never realized that kind of woman was his type…" She mumbled under her breath, her eyes cast in shadow.

But Shinji heard her anyway, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head as he stared at her in shock.

_No... Frickin'... Way... _

"_No waaay!_! _Don't tell me you like that perverted bastard!_?" He shouted in disbelief as he grabbed her by the shoulders and started shaking her, begging her to deny it. Just how long had this been going on_!_? Was Urahara secretly a a lolicon_!_? Seren was _way_ too young for him_!_! _If that bastard laid a hand on her…!_!

Seren sweat dropped. This was exactly why she hadn't wanted him to know. She knew he'd react like this. As far as Shinji was concerned, she was still his adorable baby girl, and he had a habit of scaring off any boys who looked like they might want to ask her out. He'd even told her once before that she wasn't allowed to date until after she was married… I mean, WTF? How was she supposed to get married if she couldn't meet anyone, and how was she supposed to date if she was married? _It didn't even make sense!_

Well, whatever. She might as well come clean with him. If she denied it and he caught her lie, he'd just freak out even more, and he'd probably end up interrogating Urahara just to make sure he wasn't trying to secretly elope with his baby girl or something equally ridiculous…

"Don't worry, Dad. It's true that I like him, but it's just a one-sided love. He still treats me like a kid, so I'm pretty sure he has _zero_ interest in me as a woman." Seren said sadly, flinching slightly as she was stabbed by her own words. Having to admit that out loud had hurt more than she thought it would.

"…" Shinji said as he stared at her, scanning his daughter for any signs that might indicate she was trying to pull the wool over his eyes.

He was both relieved and concerned to find that the heartache in her eyes was 100% genuine. He wasn't ready to hand his little girl over to anyone yet (especially someone who was so much older than her), but he didn't want her to get hurt either. It was obvious her feelings for Urahara were much deeper than just a simple, girlish crush.

"I'm sorry…" Shinji said as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close in a fatherly and protective embrace, trying to comfort her. "I didn't mean for you to have to make that kind of face. I was just worried he might have been seducing you or something…"

"He wouldn't… I'm obviously not his type…" Seren said, smiling a little bitterly as she hugged him back. She felt like crying, but she wouldn't let herself. It felt like she'd really be giving up on Urahara if she did…

"… Well… since I've missed my chance to make a dramatic entrance on my first day as a 'transfer student'… how about I treat you to something before you go back? We can have a little father-daughter date~!" Shinji suggested playfully in an attempt to distract her from such a depressing subject and hopefully cheer her up.

"Alright, it's a date." She said, smiling wryly as she shook her head. How could she possibly turn down free food and fun? Their little outing would probably give her enough to act normally again by the time she returned to the shop…


	5. Eyes Of The Unkown 4

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

"English speech"  
"Japanese speech"  
'Thoughts'  
≤|≥ Scene transition and/or time lapse  
**Setting/scene**  
Flashbacks and changes in POVs will be labeled as needed (unless stated otherwise, it will be third person omniscient)  
SOUND EFFECTS WILL BE IN ALL CAPS

* * *

_**Eyes of the Unknown: Part 4**_

* * *

**An Hour And A Half Later,  
Urahara Shōten **

"You came back~!" Urahara cried dramatically as he immediately glomped Seren upon her return. "You were gone for so long, I was starting to worry you might not be coming back!" He exclaimed as he nuzzled her, rubbing his scruffy face against her soft cheek.

Seren blushed furiously at the close contact, and she was sure Urahara could felt her heart fluttering in her chest since they were pressed so close together, thanks to the gentle, yet vice-like hold he had her in. This reaction was extreme, even for him…

"Stop it! Your stubble is scratching up my face like sandpaper! _Let go!"_ She yelled as she elbowed him to make him loosen his grip, hoping she had managed to not sound as nervous as she felt.

"Oww… right in the solar plexus…" Urahara muttered as he rubbed his sore abdomen. He might have taught Seren a little too well... He sighed sadly as he looked back at Seren. He noticed the blush she was trying (and failing) to suppress, and just as Seren suspected, he had not missed how her heart went 'doki-doki' when he held her either. Urahara hid a small smirk behind his fan. 'Oh? What have we here…?' He mused silently.

Could it be? Was his cute little Seren actually…?

He shut his fan. His smirk had been replaced by a wan smile.

"Is being held by me… really that terrible, Seren-chan? Urahara asked sadly as he bravely closed the distance between them again. He gently cupped her face in his hands to keep her from turning away from him.

Seren's breath caught in her throat and her heart skipped a beat when their eyes met. She knew must be blushing because she could feel her cheeks getting warmer.

His grey eyes softened slightly as he read her expression, taking in every little detail of her lovely face, from the deep emotions shining in her emerald eyes, down to the way the cherry-flavored lip balm glistened in the light as her soft lips had parted slightly when she had gasped quietly in surprise.

"Could it be… that you've come to hate me now, Seren?" Urahara whispered slyly as his lips formed a small, self-depreciating smile. Their faces were barely even an inch apart now, close enough to kiss.

Seren's blush deepened even more, nearly crimson, as her rapidly beating heart threatened to burst forth from her chest.

Too close… He was _way_ too close_!_! If she didn't know any better, she'd think he was about to kiss her!

"I–Idiot…_!_! Th-There's no way I could ever hate you!" She huffed shyly as she tried to avoid his gaze, furrowing her brow slightly like she was sulking as she tried to concentrate on calming herself down and maintaining the ability to speak full sentences like a normal human being instead of letting herself get tongue-tied like the love-struck idiot she really was.

Urahara smiled warmly at her as the flustered girl tried to play it cool.

It was too late for that now. He already knew everything.

Contrary to what he had led everyone else to believe, Urahara had suspected for some time that Seren harbored deeper feelings for him than a girl should towards just a family friend, but he had pretended not to notice because he couldn't afford to let himself treat her as anything more than a child… especially since was it was taking an alarming amount of his self-control to keep himself from capturing her lips in a kiss. Urahara had already been charmed by the precocious girl in front of him long ago… He was just waiting for her to grow up. (He wasn't a pedophile, you know.) Besides… Shinji would probably explode if he knew how he felt about his precious daughter, and he _never_ would have let her stay with him _ever again_. In order to avoid that, Urahara had decided to play dumb to the extent that even Yoruichi was fooled. You know what they say, sometimes you have to fool your friends first in order to fool your enemies…

"… Is that so?" He said calmly as he straightened up again, giving Seren a little bit of her personal space back. "In that case… I'm extremely relieved~! But don't worry, that magazine was Tessai-san's, and I've already scolded him for not being more careful~! It'll never happen again." He said brightly, though there was a slight edge to his voice when he mentioned Tessai.

Seren stared at him as her eyes widened in shock.

'_Th—Th-That was Tessai-san's!_? _Unbelievable! He totally didn't seem the type…!'_ She screamed in her mind. That was one thing she _really_ didn't need to know about the quiet assistant manager… Well, at least she knew now that since that particular magazine wasn't his, the women in it weren't necessarily Urahara's type… That gave her a little more hope for the future.

"Now…" Urahara continued, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Ururu and Jinta are taking a break and eating some ice cream. Why don't you have some as well?" He suggested, smiling brightly at her.

"Oh, thanks… but I just had a chocolate parfait on my 'date', so I'm good. I should probably catch up on finishing the rest of the stuff you asked me to take care of." Seren said, smiling brightly as she started to enter the shop.

She missed it when Urahara's eye twitched ever so slightly.

_Eh?_

"… _Date?"_ He asked evenly as he smiled a brilliant shit-eating grin. It was a good thing Seren had her back turned to him while she removed her shoes, or she would have noticed the dark emotions that were barely hidden behind his cheerful mask as he started calculating different methods to get rid of whatever pest had started swarming around her.

"Yeah. I ran into my dad, so he took me on a little father-daughter outing to cheer me up after my trauma. We went to the arcade and a family restaurant. I totally kicked his ass at DDR." She explained, smirking victoriously. "… And then Hiyori-nee showed up and dragged him off… I hope she isn't going to be too hard on him."

"My, it certainly sounds like Shinji's gotten himself into a pinch~" Urahara said, instantly brightening. 'Whew, that scared me for a moment…' He thought, feeling extremely relieved. Although he was a little annoyed that Shinji's little outing with her had made him worry over nothing, the man had Urahara's sympathies.

Hiyori had a mean right hook.


	6. Hush

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

"English speech"  
"Japanese speech"  
'Thoughts'  
[ | ] Scene transition and/or time lapse  
**Setting/scene**  
Flashbacks and changes in POVs will be labeled as needed (unless stated otherwise, it will be third person omniscient)  
SOUND EFFECTS WILL BE IN ALL CAPS

* * *

_**Hush  
**_

* * *

**The Following Morning,**  
**Urahara Shōten**

"G' mornin'… everyone…" Seren said, yawning, as she stumbled into the kitchen and started trying to help Tessai cook breakfast.

"Good morning, Seren-dono." Tessai greeted the young girl respectfully. He watched as the sleepy girl picked up the chefs knife and one of the tomatoes he had planned on slicing to add to the omelets. "Seren-dono, you are still half asleep, please have a seat at the table and wait with Ururu and Jin—"

_SLICE._

_SLICE. SLICE. SLICE. SLICE!_  
_CHOP. CHOP. CHOP. CHOP!_

"…" Tessai said as he watched her proceed to slice and mince all the ingredients with the lightning speed of a master chef. It seems she had improved her skills if she could do all that without cutting herself in the current state she was in… "Nevermind."

[ | ]

"Itadakimasu!" Everyone said as they picked up their chopsticks and started to eat.

"It's yummy." Ururu said softly as she munched on the tasty omelet.

"Huh? I just realized Kisuke-san isn't here…" Seren said, blinking in confusion. A few sips of coffee had finally helped her wake up.

"He sleeps in a lot." Jinta commented carelessly as he scarfed down his food and held his bowl out to Tessai. "I'm ready for seconds!"

"It looked like there was a light on in his room when I passed by." Yoruichi said.

"I believe the manager is probably still working on an experiment." Tessai offered as an explanation. "He was suddenly struck with inspiration last night, after the three of you had gone to bed."

"… He's been working in there since we went to bed?" Seren asked, raising an eyebrow as she frowned slightly. Knowing him, he probably never went to sleep in the first place… If he didn't emerge from his lair by lunchtime, she might have to do something before he started to mold…

[ | ]

**After Lunch**

"…" Seren said as she stared down at the tray of untouched food that they had left just outside Urahara's door.

That was it. Not only had was he running on zero sleep, but this would make the second meal he was trying to skip. Time for a little tough love.

_SLAM!_

Urahara flinched when his door suddenly flew open. Very slowly, he turned to face the doorway. The only person who would do something like that was…

"You have one minute to find a good stopping place in whatever it is you're doing." Seren informed him as she stood in his doorway, crossed her arms, and fixed him with a stern glare.

'_I knew it…!'_ Urahara thought, smiling wryly to himself, as he sweat dropped and scrambled to make sure all the reactions of his experiment were stabilized enough to be left on their own for a while. He could tell Seren meant business, and he had learned not to ignore her attempts to make him take breaks since that usually resulted in her pushing everything off the desk, ruining whatever he had been working on in the process.

He smiled when she grabbed his wrist and started pulling him out the room the moment he finished. Although having to restart those experiments from scratch had been frustrating, he wasn't angry since he knew she was only doing it because she was worried about him whenever he became so absorbed in his experiments that he started to neglect his health. It was kind of cute how she acted like a wife taking care of her workaholic husband…

… But if you asked the others, they would say it felt more like they were watching a scene of mother scolding her naughty child.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to skip meals! Missing one night of sleep is bad enough! You're going to make yourself sick if you keep this up, you idiot scientist!" Seren scolded Urahara as she herded him to the bathroom. "Take a bath while I reheat your food, and come to table to eat. I'll ask Tessai-san or Yoruichi to bring you a change of clothes. I know you want to keep working, but you'll think better with a full stomach and a quick nap."

"Hai, Hai." Urahara said obediently as he stepped into the bathroom, and she closed the door behind him. What a diligent little thing she was…

"… She really did it…" Ururu said, amazed. She and Jinta had been watching the whole scene taking place in the hallway as they peeked around the corner. This was the first time they had ever witnessed someone successfully remove Urahara from his room after he had shut himself up to work on an experiment. Ururu didn't dare, and Jinta had repressed the memory of whatever had happened the last time he tried… but he remembered enough to know better than to ever attempt such a thing again.

"Che." Jinta clicked his tongue in annoyance. Their boss really spoiled Seren, the way he let her get away with stuff like that…

"What are you two up to?" Yoruichi asked suddenly, making the two children jump guiltily for eavesdropping.

"Yoruichi-san… Seren-san got Kisuke-san to leave his room!" Ururu explained, eyes sparkling with amazement.

"Oh, I see. No wonder you're so amazed after witnessing such a rare occurrence. If you think that's impressive, you should have seen it when she was less than half his height!" Yoruichi said, smirking like a Cheshire cat. It had been hilarious to watch chibi Seren struggle to drag Kisuke out of his room, or 'lair', as she liked to refer to it. It had probably been a mistake on his part to teach her Hakuda, since she turned out to have a real talent for it.

[ | ]

**Later That Evening**

"…" Seren said as she stared into the empty freezer of Urahara's fridge later that evening.

"What are you doing, Seren?" Yoruichi asked when she spotted the teen staring so forlornly at it, wondering what was so fascinating.

"A freezer with no ice cream... _It's unnatural."_ She replied, feeling something between awe and shock.

"What? We're out of ice cream already_!_?" Jinta asked as he rushed into the room. His selective hearing was amazing. He had heard that all the way from the front of the store, yet he seemed virtually deaf whenever they tried to get him to do menial labor.

"It's… all gone?" Ururu asked disappointedly as she stuck her head in the doorway too, making an adorable kicked puppy face.

"That can't be. I just bought a new box of popsicles a couple of days ago." Tessai said as he joined them. He had gone after the kids to see why they had run off, but now it was obvious why. This was a serious crisis for them.

"Well, I guess it's not really that surprising…" Jinta conceded reluctantly as he crossed his arms and sighed. "They were the 'fun-size' ones, so you have to have at least two or three in order to feel satisfied. No wonder they went so… fast…?" Jinta was suddenly all too aware of the piercing stares everyone in the room was giving him.

"_So it was you."_ Tessai concluded, frowning, as he loomed ominously over the boy.

"W-Wait! I can explain—" Jinta stuttered nervously as Tessai dragged him out of the room by the back of his shirt collar. "_Oooowwww! No! Not that! Anything but tha—"_

SHUT.

"…" The girls said as they heard the door of another room shut, cutting off the sounds of Jinta's desperate cries for mercy.

"Jinta-kun…" Ururu said softly as she continued to stare in the direction he had been dragged from the room. "… He never learns."

"He'll live. Anyway, why don't you just go out and get some more ice cream, Seren? You can pick up some more milk for me while you're at it." Yoruichi said carelessly, choosing to ignore the disturbing scene they had just witnessed. It's not like Tessai ever did anything _seriously_ harmful to the kid. Seren smiled wryly as she sweat dropped, feeling a little sorry for Jinta. Well, it's not like he didn't earn it, but it was kind of sad that no one even batted an eyelash when they heard his cries for help… Must happen a lot…

[ | ]

"Hm? Where's Seren?" Urahara asked when he finally remerged from his room again. He had managed to finish this particular experiment rather quickly.

"She went to get more ice cream since Jinta killed it off already." Yoruichi said nonchalantly as she lay on the floor, reading some of Seren's manga.

"You let her go alone? That's not good. It's dangerous for that girl to wander around alone like that." Urahara said as he spun around, preparing to go after her.

"She'll be fine! Seren can take care of herself. You're the one who taught her, after all." Yoruichi reminded him.

"Exactly! She's so petite, that she looks like she'd be an easy target… It would be a shame if she got into trouble for hospitalizing anyone foolish enough to attack her~!" Urahara said proudly as he whipped out his fan. He stopped when a sudden wave of a two powerful and very familiar reiatsu washed over him the moment he set foot outside the shop. He shut his fan. So, it was starting.

"Urahara… this is…" Yoruichi said as she walked over to stand in the doorway. She had felt it too. There was something else close by, as well. _Something dangerous._

All traces of his usual mirth and humor were gone as Urahara stared off into the night. That reiatsu was far too close to the area he was sensing Seren's from for comfort.

[ | ]

Seren was humming cheerfully as she exited the convenience store, holding her bag of ice cream. That's right, mission accomplished. She started to sing along to the song on her iPod as she made her way home.

"Tonight, Love is rationed  
Tonight, Across the nation  
Tonight, Love reflects worl—_!_?"

Seren yanked the headphones out of her ears as she whipped her head around, startled by all the intense spiritual pressures that were suddenly being released all over the place. One was definitely her dad's, and suspected another one was probably the Substitute Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo, that she had heard so much about. There were a few hollows around too… Including the one that was trying to sneak up on her at the moment. He was about as subtle as a bull in a china shop.

"Haah… I don't have time for this..." Seren said, sighing in annoyance as the hollow jumped out from its hiding place and lunged at her. The hollow never even knew what hit it. Without even turning her head to look, Seren raised her hand and slammed it into its face in her own backhanded version of Tessai's Hakuda technique, Tessō (Iron Palm) when it was just an inch away from biting her. Its mask shattered instantly from the concussive force of the blow. "… If I take too long getting back, the ice cream will melt." She finished as the hollow fell and disintegrated.

"_!_?" She gasped in surprise when she felt a strange and powerful reiatsu appear just a block away. The way it was moving… it's like it was chasing something… or someone.

Seren sighed heavily as she stared at the ice cream she had just bought. What a waste… It looked like she wasn't going to make it back in time, after all.

'I hope he won't be too at me…' She thought, grimacing a little, as she started to run after the dangerous reiatsu, ignoring all sense of self-preservation. Urahara had specifically told her not to become a shinigami outside of the underground training room, but…

This was an emergency.


	7. The Cigar Blues

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

"English speech"  
"Japanese speech"  
'Thoughts'  
[ | ] Scene transition and/or time lapse  
**Setting/scene**  
Flashbacks and changes in POVs will be labeled as needed (unless stated otherwise, it will be third person omniscient)  
SOUND EFFECTS WILL BE IN ALL CAPS

* * *

_**The Cigar Blues: Part 1**_

* * *

Seren was now hurrying after the high-level hollow and its prey after using her Chappy 'Soul Candy' to push her own soul out, and she had already sent the perky bunny back to the shop with the ice cream. Good thing she never left home without it.

'At least I won't have to worry about the ice cream melting while I'm fight—_!_?' Seren thought, startled when she suddenly found herself being yanked backwards by someone who was obviously much stronger than her, despite having absolutely no trace of reiatsu. She landed on her back and just lay there for a moment, stunned.

This could only mean one thing…

Seren gulped nervously as she glanced up at the culprit behind her sudden stop.

Sure enough, Urahara was looming over her rather ominously. He seemed to have used the curved handle of his cane to hook the back of her shihakushō in order to stop her… and there seemed to be a sharp edge to the wide shit-eating grin he had plastered on his face.

'_Oh, crap! He's totally pissed!_!' Seren realized, blanching, when she realized just how much trouble she had gotten herself into.

"My, my, what have we here…?" Urahara said. He didn't raise his voice, but she could tell he was angry. "Wasn't it just _yesterday_ that I warned you to lay low until I gave you the green light to join the action, and yet here you are, rushing so recklessly into _dange_r as a shinigami when _I specifically told you not to_."

Seren winced at the steely tone in his voice. She really wished he wouldn't stare at her with so much disappointment… She'd have rather been yelled at than see that look in his eyes. Even though she was only trying to help, she felt really guilty now for letting him down. She knew her disobedience was only part of the reason why he was so angry with her. It was obvious that she had worried him by running off on her own like that…

Urahara sighed tiredly as he held a hand to his head. This girl… it seemed she really liked to make him worry... He knew Seren was probably strong enough to handle that thing on her own, but he still didn't like the idea of letting her take on an opponent like that by herself. He was probably being overprotective, but he couldn't help it.

If anything happened to her...

"Just what am I going to do with you?" Urahara mused wryly as he crouched down next to her. She was acting uncharacteristically demure after his scolding, and she looked a little ashamed of herself for worrying him… He just couldn't stay mad at her after seeing her like that. She understood what she had done wrong and taken his side of things into consideration. She was properly reflecting on her actions, so there was no need to back her even further into a corner. He perked up slightly when a reiatsu that he hadn't felt in a long time joined in the fray with the powerful hollow ahead of them.

"Well, since you're already out here, you might as well come along." Urahara said as he removed the black reiatsu-sealing cloak that he had used to sneak up on her and draped it over her shoulders. "There's something I want to check, and… Letting you see for yourself what kind of things you'll be up against, if you join our fight, will give you a better understanding of just how dangerous it will be."

[ | ]

**Some Distance Away,**

**On A Certain Rooftop**

"_!_!_!"_ Ichigo and Shinji said, a little startled when they both sensed other powerful reiatsus flare up in the town.

"Wha… What is this reiatsu…?" Ichigo asked tensely as he and Shinji stopped their fight for a moment. "It's unbelievably strong… Is it a hollow?" He had never sensed anything like this before… there was something really strange about this thing's spiritual energy.

Shinji deadpanned, extremely unimpressed. He couldn't believe this kid…

They obviously hadn't been surprised for the same reason.

'Oi, oi… He just noticed that now_!_? Is he really worth our time?' Shinji wondered. It seemed Ichigo's ability to sense reiatsu and reiryoku was currently at about the same level Seren's had been when she was five-years-old, before they had even started teaching her about any of this stuff. That was just sad. Shinji had sensed the high-level hollow as soon as it appeared, and he could also tell that Seren had transformed into a shinigami, but since her reiatsu had suddenly been snuffed out completely only a few minutes later. Shinji could vaguely sense Urahara's reiatsu now, so he had probably found her and done something…

'But this shinigami reiatsu… I don't recognize it. Who can it be?' He wondered.

_WOOSH!_

"—Ah!" Shinji exclaimed, flinching in surprise, when Ichigo took advantage of the lull in their fight to jump off the roof and started heading in the direction of the hollow and the mystery shinigami. "Hey! Wait, damn it! Where're you goin', Ichigo_!_? We're not done talkin' yet_!_!_!"_ He yelled incredulously.

"I refuse!" Ichigo shouted back bluntly as he waved goodbye.

"I said I'm not finished yet!" Shinji yelled, sweating nervously as a vein throbbed on his forehead. Why did this kid have to be so stubborn? Hiyori might actually skin him alive if he came back without him again!

"Whatever it is, I don't want to hear it! I don't care what kind of organization your so-called 'Visoreds' is, but I have no desire to become 'nakama' with you all!" Ichigo shouted stubbornly. Shinji furrowed his brow slightly and frowned as he and Ichigo stared each other down.

"I am a shinigami!" Ichigo declared resolutely as he placed a hand over his heart and a tiny bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. "I'm definitely… not one of you!" He added as he shot Shinji a defiant glare before continuing on his way, put as much distance between the two of them as possible. As if he would just blindly trust someone so suspicious…!

"Che! What a rude little punk…!" Shinji grumbled, sighing in annoyance as he started fishing his cellphone out of his pocket. "This ain't gonna be easy…" He sighed heavily as he dialed Hiyori's number and waited for the proverbial axe to fall.

* * *

Author's note:  
I keep forgetting to say this, but I added a couple of links to my profile for pics of Seren.


	8. The Cigar Blues 2

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

"English speech"  
"Japanese speech"  
'Thoughts'  
[ | ] Scene transition and/or time lapse  
(...) shift from one seperate group's perspective to another within the same ongoing scene.  
**Setting/scene**  
Flashbacks and changes in POVs will be labeled as needed (unless stated otherwise, it will be third person omniscient)  
SOUND EFFECTS WILL BE IN ALL CAPS

* * *

_**The Cigar Blues: Part 2**_

* * *

Kurosaki Isshin's white captain haori fluttered in the cool night breeze as he stared down the massive hollow known as Grand Fisher.

"Kurosaki… I see…" Grand Fisher said as he stared down at the shinigami who had just introduced himself only moments ago. "You are Kurosaki Ichigo's…"

"Father." Isshin finished for him, smirking.

(...)

"So, that's Kurosaki Ichigo's father? He looks kind of familiar…" Seren said as she watched Isshin's little Mexican standoff with Urahara from a safe distance away, peeking around the corner of the office building they were hiding behind.

After seeing how massive Grand Fisher was, and his partially removed mask, she had wondered if they should help, but Urahara insisted that they should let Isshin handle it on his own. He had his own personal reasons for wanting to fight it.

(...)

Isshin picked up the omamori that had fallen to the ground after blocking the hollows attack. "Hey! Catch, Kon." He told the mod-soul in his son's body as he tossed the charm to him. "This charm was meant for you to begin with."

'H-He even knows my name!' Kon thought, shocked. Beads of nervous sweat formed on his brow. "Si…Since when…? When did you figure out that I wasn't Ichigo?" He asked.

"From the beginning." Isshin replied simply. "Ever since the day we went to visit Masaki's grave… when I saw you enter Ichigo's body for the first time. Think about it. I've never once called you 'Ichigo' while you were in his body. I may look like a fool, but my senses are quite keen."

Kon could help but stare at the man before him in awe. He just couldn't believe this was really happening…

_WHAM!_

"Huh_!_?" Kon shouted, flinching in surprise, when Grand Fisher suddenly slammed his fist into the ground, shattering the concrete. Isshin remained perfectly calm, unfazed by the hollow's scare tactic.

"I see… if his father is a shinigami, then Kurosaki Ichigo is the real thing… Now I understand why I lost to him." Grand Fisher said. "However, Isshin, or whatever your name is… I have no interest in you." He declared as he pointed at the powerful shinigami before him. "My reason for coming here tonight is to kill Kurosaki Ichigo. If you're his father, then you must know where he is. So, hand him over!"

"Hell if I know where he's gone. He's not a kid anymore." Isshin said carelessly. "Anyhow, I'm a non-interventionist when it comes to parenting."

"Liar! You're pretty strict with the girls." Kon interjected, sweat dropping.

"_Yuzu and Karin are different! Girls and boys are different! Very different!"_ Isshin protested defensively, sweating nervously, as he pressed his hands together and waved them back and forth to emphasize his point.

(...)

Seren sweat dropped. He'd probably get along pretty well with her dad… they both had the same overprotective attitude towards their daughters.

(...)

"Besides, even if you have no interest in me, I came here to cut you down!" Isshin said boldly, turning his attention back on the hollow. "So if you don't treat me as your opponent… It'll cause problems."

Grand Fisher's eyes widened in surprise as he started at the shinigami.

"_Heeeh–––"_ He laughed mockingly as his lips curled into a devious smirk.

Isshin frowned slightly as the hollow continued his fit of maniacal laughter.

"You came to cut me down_!_? You sure talk big for someone who looks like a shinigami_!_!" Grand Fisher roared with laughter. _"_Surely, you don't think that I'm just a regular hollow_!_? _Look carefully!"_ He shouted, shattering his mask. _"This is… the extent… of my power!_!"

(...)

"_!_!" Seren gasped when she felt the powerful surge in his reiatsu. Her eyes widened as she watched him begin his transformation. "This… Is that… an arrancar_!_?"

"…" Urahara said grimly as he watched the fight. This was exactly why he had brought her along.

She needed to see this.

(...)

"So… so damn big…" Kon said nervously as he stared up at the transformed hollow. "It's nothing like the menos I saw before…!"

Grand Fisher had become as massive and tall buildings around them, and his mask had been completely removed from his face, and reformed into two huge tusks coming out of his shoulders. He had never seen anything like it…

"Menos, you say? Don't group me with the likes of them!" Grand Fisher said with disdain. "I'm an…"

"Arrancar!" Isshin interjected suddenly. "A group of hollows who have removed their masks and attempted to gain the powers of a shinigami. Am I right?" he asked, smirking at the look on Grand Fisher's face.

"Surprise, surprise. You're actually pretty knowledgeable." Grand Fisher congratulated him rather patronizingly. "So then… You should know very well that you cannot win against this sword!" He declared confidently as he drew a katana from the sheath on his back.

"A zanpakutō…_!_? It's friggin' huge…!" Kon exclaimed incredulously.

"That's right! The size of a zanpakutō is relative to the strength of the spiritual power of the one who wields it!" Grand Fisher boasted. "With a twig-sized zanpakutō like yours… there's no way you can beat me, fool_!_!"

"… Is that so? Then, why don't we… give it a try?" Isshin suggested calmly as he shifted his stance, preparing to draw his sword. He grinned up at the arrancar fearlessly.

"Looks like you're… one of those shinigami… who disregards their common sense." Grand Fisher said, frowning in annoyance. "Fine then."

FWISSSH! _SLASH!_

In that split-second, the shinigami and arrancar struck simultaneously. A powerful and precise blow sliced clean through its target, revealing a glimpse of the crescent moon through parted flesh.

Grand Fisher moaned in pain as he fell to his knees, leaning against his sword for support. He had lost.

"Allow me to… teach you some of the basics. All captain class shinigami are consciously controlling the size of their zanpakutō. Otherwise… they would have to swing around a zanpakutō the size of a skyscraper, much like what you're doing." Isshin said calmly as he sung his sword to remove the blood from it before sheathing it again. "Remember this, you cannot judge an opponent's strength by how large his zanpakutō is. Don't talk about a shinigami's strength… until you can understand that, boy." He concluded as blood spurted forth from Grand Fisher's wound, and the hollow's body fell.


	9. Crush The World Down

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

"English speech"  
"Japanese speech"  
'Thoughts'  
[ | ] Scene transition and/or time lapse  
-^- shift from one separate group's perspective to another within the same ongoing scene.  
**Setting/scene**  
Flashbacks and changes in POVs will be labeled as needed (unless stated otherwise, it will be third person omniscient)  
SOUND EFFECTS WILL BE IN ALL CAPS

* * *

_**Crush The World Down**_

* * *

"This… This is… impossible…!" Grand Fisher moaned in denial with his last breath. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as both halves of his corpse finally went completely limp, and his body began to disintegrate.

"One… one hit… He dropped him with just one attack…" Kon stuttered as he stared at Isshin in awe, dripping with cold, nervous sweat. 'This is crazy… He's so strong, it's crazy! Is he really Ichigo's… stupid dad…_!_?' he wondered in disbelief as an image of Isshin acting embarrassingly idiotic popped into his head. It was completely in compatible with the cool and serious that now stood before him.

"Have you avenged her?" A familiar voice asked as they suddenly became aware of the sound of wooden geta clicking on pavement.

Kon's eyes widened in surprise as he and Isshin turned to face its owner. Urahara was walking towards them, followed closely by a girl wearing in a black cloak that was way too big for her. This mysterious girl didn't seem to have even the slightest trace of reiatsu…

"Your wife's killer." Urahara finished as he and Seren came to a stop in front of them.

"So you came… Urahara." Isshin said solemnly.

"Long time no see, Isshin-san." Urahara greeted the shinigami with a slight smile as he placed a hand on his hat. "Iyah~! It looks as though your skills are still as sharp as ever~! What a relief~!" Urahara said lightly.

"Oh yeah? It's nice to hear you talk straight once in a while…" Isshin deadpanned.

"Well… if you became weaker and blamed me for it, it would be problematic~!" Urahara teased, grinning, as he whipped out his fan.

"Oh really?" Isshin asked dryly, turning his head as he crossed his arms. "Don't worry. Even if I became weak, I wouldn't blame you. I would just accept it. Same goes for my abilities."

'Hmm? Sounds like they get along pretty well with each other… I wonder why I've never seen him come to the shop before…' Seren thought as she watched the exchange between the two men.

"By the way, Urahara… who's that little ojou-san behind you?" Isshin asked curiously as he glanced at Seren. "Your girlfriend~?" He teased, winking and grinning like an idiot, as he held up his pinky, making the Japanese hand sign that symbolized such a relationship.

Seren's face could not have been any redder. She was blushing so hard that steam was practically coming out of her. _What the heck was this ossan saying!_? She had been so startled by his sudden dive into such a sensitive topic, that she had nearly bitten her tongue in surprise!

"Hahaha! Please, Isshin-san~! You shouldn't say things like that, even as a joke~!" Urahara said, waving his hand at the notion, causing Seren to flinch in shock at how quickly the idea of dating her had been dismissed. "Seren-chan has a really scary father, you know~! He'd slaughter me if he heard you say something like that!" Urahara said playfully, laughing in amusement. His smile tensed slightly as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face.

Actually… That wasn't really too far from the truth…

"Seren-chan happens to be my number one pupil." Urahara explained as he patted her on the head. "Although, she sometimes has trouble following directions…" He added, giving her a pointed look to let her know he wasn't going to forget her recent transgression anytime soon.

Seren laughed a little nervously as she avoided his eyes. So, he still hadn't completely forgiven her for that yet…

"So… how does it feel…?" He asked Isshin, changing the subject. "Taking the form of a shinigami that you abandoned twenty years ago?"

'Huh? Abandoned…?' Seren wondered curiously, snapping out of her little visit to the corner of woe.

"So-so." Isshin replied monotonously.

"And your heart… is it free of guilt now?" Urahara asked more seriously.

Isshin furrowed his brow slightly as he stared at the shopkeeper, a fellow shinigami.

"Somewhat…" He conceded after giving it some thought. "I never really held a grudge against that stupid hollow in the first place. If there is one thing that I've regretted for these past twenty years, it would be my own lack of power… and my inability to save Masaki that night." He explained solemnly.

Seren bowed her head sadly, understanding how painful it was to lose someone you loved. No matter what the circumstances, it was never easy…

Urahara glanced briefly at Seren. He would be the same as Isshin if he ever lost her… Still, he couldn't help but feel somewhat amused as well.

"Some things never change, do they? With that attitude, you really resemble your son." He told Isshin.

"Hell no!" Isshin denied bluntly, looking extremely put off by the idea.

"Like father, like son~!" Urahara insisted.

"I just said—We're not alike at all_!_!" Isshin protested stubbornly.

Seren sweat dropped.

'Uwaah… what a harsh rejection…' She thought, feeling a little sorry for Ichigo. Was that really the kind of reaction a loving father should have…?

"Well, let's just leave it at that. Speaking of your son… did you notice?" Urahara asked, getting back to business. Isshin furrowed his brow slightly.

"Yeah… It's like you predicted. They contacted him, the Visored. An outlaw group of former shinigami that uses forbidden techniques… to acquire the power of hollows." Isshin said grimly.

Seren tensed slightly, but she quickly put on her poker face on so she wouldn't give anything away.

'So… that's the story they decided on back in Soul Society…' She thought a little bitterly. If they thought her father and the others had chosen this, then they knew absolutely _nothing_.

"We never found their base of operations, nor uncovered their goals. They're a tough one." Isshin added.

"But, the fact that they've contacted your son means…" Urahara said, glancing knowingly at Isshin.

"Yeah. They're also preparing for some kind of battle. Same as us." Isshin concluded. "They must've felt it too… That there has been a sudden change in the arrancar…"

Urahara and Seren exchanged a glance.

"Then, as we thought, that hollow just now really was… an arrancar, wasn't it?" Urahara asked, wanting to confirm their suspicions.

"Yeah. We've been aware of the natural appearance of arrancar-like beings up until the present, but compared to the mock-arrancar that we've seen before… It was on a completely different level." Isshin said. "The mock-arrancar that hadn't developed much in the past few decades… have suddenly developed into such a powerful monstrosity. You must know as well, that the person responsible for this must be… Aizen Sousuke."

Seren clenched her fists at the mention of her dysfunctional family's hated enemy.

Urahara placed a comforting hand on her head when he sensed her tension.

"He has made contact with the mock-arrancar, and is attempting to create real arrancar… by using the Hōgyoku." Isshin continued as he glanced curiously at them, wondering if there really was nothing between them.

Urahara sighed. He'd been afraid of this…

"I had hoped it would take a little longer for the Hōgyoku to reach full power, but…" He knew there was a possibility that someone like Aizen would be able to find a way to speed up the process to bring the Hōgyoku out of its dormant state, but still…

"… I don't think he's perfected the process yet, though…" Seren said thoughtfully, drawing their attention. "Even though that one just now was already fairly powerful, its spiritual pressure was a real messy mix, so… that arrancar was probably just an incomplete prototype."

"Oh, I see why you called her your number one student, now! She's pretty sharp." Isshin told Urahara, impressed, as the shopkeeper beamed with pride. "I was thinking the same thing. He was probably something created and sent here to collect data on how well he could fight at his level. Right now they're still weak, but the power of the Hōgyoku is immeasurable. Very soon, he will finish his studies… and he'll lead an army of complete arrancar to take over the Menos Grande… Then, he will emerge from the darkness… _to crush our world_. What will we doe then?" he asked grimly.

"We'll think of something." Urahara said as he placed a hand on his hat. "Either way, that's the situation. Be they friends or enemies, everyone will play their part. Even the Visored… and us, too… And also, Soul Society."

"Oh, Looks like someone else is coming." Seren said, perking up slightly when she felt a powerful reiatsu that was similar to a Visored's approaching them. It must be Ichigo…

"This reiatsu, it's…" Isshin said, also perking up when he felt it.

"Your son." Urahara finished for him.

'Ah. So it is him, after all…' Seren thought.

"If he meets you like this, will it cause problems?" Urahara asked Isshin.

"Huh? Why would it cause problems?" Seren asked, tilting her head slightly in confusion.

"Well, Ichigo doesn't actually know I'm a shinigami… I didn't bother telling him before because my powers hadn't returned, but… I'll tell him when the time is right. 'Til then, I'd appreciate it if you didn't say anything to him about it." Isshin explained a little awkwardly.

"Alright… I think it would probably be better if you told him sooner rather than later, but you're secret's safe with me." Seren said, smiling reassuringly at him.

"If that's what you want, then…" Urahara said, grinning like a Cheshire cat, as he rounded on Kon. "It goes without saying that eeeeverything you've seen tonight…"

"Is con–fi–den–tial~" Isshin finished, deadpanning, as he and the shady shopkeeper loomed ominously over the nervous mod soul. Their cheerful voices were laced with the promise of an unspeakably horrible punishment should he rat them out.

"Y-Yes! I understand! I won't say a word!" Kon promised as he nodded his head vigorously to illustrate how serious he was about keeping the vow of silence.

"Yeah… let's stop right there, shall we? If we don't skedaddle soon, Ichigo-kun will see us." Seren reminded them, sweat dropping, as she watched the two adults pressure and intimidate the poor guy.

They looked like they might be having a little _too_ much fun bullying him…

[ | ]

"Ah!" Kon suddenly gasped in realization when he was already halfway home. "I was so shocked and overwhelmed by everything that happened… That I forgot to make a move on that Onee-san back there_!_!" He wailed dramatically. She'd been slender and petite like Rukia, but she was still a real looker! _"What a waste!"_ Kon cried, not realizing just how lucky he was that he _hadn't _tried anything.

It would have been like signing his own death warrant if he had tried to fondle Seren…


	10. Resolve

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

"English speech"  
"Japanese speech"  
'Thoughts'  
[ | ] Scene transition and/or time lapse  
(…) shift from one separate group's perspective to another within the same ongoing scene.  
**Setting/scene**  
Flashbacks and changes in POVs will be labeled as needed (unless stated otherwise, it will be third person omniscient)  
SOUND EFFECTS WILL BE IN ALL CAPS

* * *

_**Resolve**_

* * *

**The Next Day,  
Hirohyaku Supermarket**

"Whoooaaa~!" Seren gasped in surprise as she stared in awe at the watermelons on display, causing a few other patrons to jump and slowly inch away from her so they wouldn't catch her crazy. You would think she and never seen a watermelon before…

They would be at least partly right.

Seren had seen Japanese watermelons before, so she already knew they were smaller than the huge American watermelons she was used to… but they were _nothing_ like this!

This one... was… _square...!_

"That's amaziiing~!" She gushed as she picked one up, marveling at its unnaturally cubic structure. How did they get it to grow like that_!_? Did they uses some kind of special glass or plastic box to shape it as it grew…?

"Wooow~! That's amaaaaaziiiiiiing~!" Mashiro shouted excitedly as she suddenly popped up behind Seren, using the younger girl's head as an arm rest.

"I know, right~!" Seren sang cheerfully as they both gazed at the novelty with sparkling eyes. "I wonder how it tastes…"

"Oh! Oh! I bet it's 'square' flavor~! Or maybe even purple!" Mashiro suggested enthusiastically. "Or maybe it's—"

"—_Shut up!_!" Hiyori roared with righteous fury as she smacked both of them upside the head with her flip-flop. "You'll attract unwanted attention if you're too loud, idiots_!_!"

"You're the loudest one, Hiyori." Lisa deadpanned as she casually flipped through the latest issue of one of her favorite adult magazines.

"But, Hiyori-nee…!" Seren protested, pouting slightly. She didn't have to hit them _that_ hard. "Look! It's _square_…" She said meaningfully as she held the watermelon out to her, as if she were presenting a rare and precious gem.

Hiyori's eyes widened as she stared at it, stunned.

No… Frickin'… _Way..._

"What the heck's with that unnatural shape_!_?" She shouted incredulously. "Why would anyone want to eat a melon shaped like that? It's creepy!"

Square melons_!_? What will these stupid humans think of next_!_?

"Why aren't you at Urahara's, Seren-chan? Are you hiding out here after finding another one of his dirty magazines? Should I go purge the place for you by confiscating any 'interesting' material I find?" Lisa asked with a scheming glint reflecting off her glasses.

"No, that's not it. It turned out it wasn't even his… And more like, aren't you just looking to find an excuse to increase your own reading material for free?" Seren deadpanned, sweat dropping. "I've just been turned into the shop's gopher for the day as punishment for disobeying orders. He's got me running all over the place stocking up on various supplies for something he's making…"

"Che!" Lisa muttered disgruntledly, clicking her tongue in disappointment.

"Oi, oi… what's with that stereotypical 'Cures, foiled again!' look on your face? What are you, the villain of some cheesy kid's show?" Hiyori asked, slightly chagrined.

"Haha~! There's no way it could air during a daytime slot if Lisa-tan was in it!" Mashiro said brightly.

"Hahaha… That's for sure…" Seren agreed as she and Hiyori glanced at the perverted Visored. It would be canceled for sure… an entire generation of innocent children would end up getting corrupted if they didn't…

"So… I heard from Shinji about your little crush on that baldy Kisuke. I don't know what you see in that idiot, but if he tries somethin' perverted or makes ya cry, let me know so I can give 'im a good beatin' for ya!" Hiyori said, turning to Seren. She was grinning rather evilly as a vein throbbed on her forehead, and she cracked her knuckles. She was all fired-up to deliver some pain.

_How dare that baldy seduce their cute little Seren…!_

'I definitely can't tell her about that maid uniform joke he pulled the other day…' Seren thought, paling slightly as she sweat dropped. Hiyori would seriously murder him… "I don't want my taste in men to be questioned by someone who's been in an emotional stalemate with my goofy dad for the past several decades. Why don't you two just kiss and get it over with?" She quipped bluntly in response to deflect the attention away from herself. Hiyori to flinched in surprise.

She had hit the nail on the head.

"Wh-Whaaaat_!_?" Hiyori shouted incredulously, blushing furiously. "_As if I'd ever be interested in that dumbass!_ _Did they make you take some strange medicine—If so, it must be messing with your head!_! _Why would you even suggest something like that!_?" She roared at the top of her lungs, panting as she glared at the spot in front of her… the spot where Seren _used_ to be standing. "… Huh?"

"She's already escaped, Hiyori. She ran away while you were busy with your rant of denial." Lisa informed her bluntly.

"Seren-tan's even fast as a human now~!" Mashiro said brightly.

"Che! I'll remember this, Seren…!" Hiyori said grudgingly as she clenched her fist. How dare she say something like that and run! She'd better come bearing gifts next time she showed her face, or she'd find out just what happened when you crossed Sarugaki Hiyori!

[ | ]

**Meanwhile,**  
**Karakura High**

"Good morning, Kurosaki-kun~!" Orihime greeted the brooding redhead enthusiastically as she entered the classroom, waving.

"Mornin', Ichigo-kun~!" Shinji greeted him even more cheerfully, grinning ear to ear, as he popped into the room right behind her.

'Hirako… He just came to school as if nothing happened…!' Ichigo thought, furrowing his brow as he stared at his suspicious classmate. He hadn't expected that after what had happened the night before… He had still been trying to wrap his head around everything when Orihime burst into the room.

"Ah! Morning, uh… um… Hirako-kun?" Orihime greeted him kindly, hoping she had gotten his name right.

"Ah~! You remembered my name!" Shinji cheered happily. "Good mornin', Orihime-chan~!" He sang cheerfully as he glomped her, taking full advantage of the fact that neither Hiyori or Seren were around to stop him.

"Wait just a damn minute_!_!" Asano Keigo shouted, flinching in shock at Shinji's brazen invasion of Orihime's personal space, as he pointed his finger dramatically at the transfer student. How dare he do something like that before _he_ had a chance to…!

"What? You're so noisy…" Shinji said rather rudely, glaring at Keigo as if he were the most annoying person on the face of the planet. "… And who the hell are you?" he asked disdainfully.

Keigo flinched as he turned blue with shock.

"Who the hell, you say_!_? What's with you talking like 'I'm the one who goes way back with these guys'_!_? _I'm the one who goes way back with these guys!"_ He shouted incredulously.

"Mortally wounded already, huh?" Mizuiro asked his friend, smiling wryly as he sweat dropped.

"_More like, get your hands off her! She's obviously uncomfortable!_!" Keigo roared with righteous fury. It would've been a bit more impressive if he didn't look like he was on the verge of tears.

"Are you stupid?" Shinji asked haughtily as he stared at Keigo as though he thought the boy was severely brain damaged. "If she didn't like it, she'd have either cried or hit me already. If she had no reaction, that means she's okay with it. Right, Orihime-chan~?" He said, brightening as he turned back to the girl.

"…" Orihime said as she stared at the hand he still had around her shoulder. She didn't particularly hate it or anything, but… hadn't they just met yesterday? It was a little too soon for this…

"Wh-What's with that holier-than-thou attitude_!_? You're the one who's acting badly! R-Right_!_? I'm right, aren't I_!_?" Keigo cried.

"It's okay. You're not wrong." Chizuru told Keigo as she placed a hand on his shoulder. _"Leave the rest to me, Keigo…!"_ She said darkly, burning with rage as she flexed her free hand, cracking the knuckles, while tightening her grip on Keigo's shoulder to the point where you could actually hear his bones start to crack.

"Chi… Chizuru-sempai…_!_!_!"_ Keigo stuttered, sweating nervously as tears threatened to fall from his eyes. He wasn't sure whether he was more grateful she had backed him up, or terrified of her fury and the damage being done to his poor shoulder.

"Orihime is a nice girl! A girl who cannot make an unpleasant face even if she is treated unpleasantly! _The world has no need for fools who do not understand this and would indiscriminately attempt to hug her!"_ Chizuru roared at Shinji with righteous(?) fury, giving him one hell of an evil eye, as several veins throbbed on her face and neck, releasing poor Keigo as she prepared to rip her newest and most hated enemy a new one.

"Um… I'm not trying to make fun of you or anything, but… by your own logic, you'd be the first to die…" Keigo pointed out hesitantly, once again blue with shock as he trembled nervously, hoping she wouldn't add him to her hit list for this.

"_With my own two hands, I shall bring justice, and butcher this accursed pig!_!_!"_ Chizuru shouted, completely ignoring him. _"Certain Death: Chizuru Genoci—"_

"There's no need to kill him, sempai…!" Keigo said nervously, hoping their classroom wasn't really going to become a murder scene.

Everyone stopped, startled, when Ichigo suddenly stood up from his desk.

"Oh?" Shinji said, slightly surprised, when Ichigo started deliberately making his way towards him and Orihime. "Oh?" He said again, eyes widening slightly, when Ichigo actually grabbed a fistful of his shirt.

"Let's go outside for a sec, Hirako." Ichigo said calmly as he started to drag Shinji rather forcefully out of the classroom.

"_Oohhh–––!_?" Shinji exclaimed as he was forced outside, and the door slammed shut behind them.

"H-Huh? What's with Ichigo…? Was he always so short-tempered like that…?" Chizuru said as beads of nervous sweat rolled down her face. She stared after them, not believing what she was seeing. Ichigo had seemed pretty calm, but even she could tell that something must have upset him…

"I-Ichigo…?" Keigo called weakly, also breaking out into a nervous sweat again. Why was everyone so high-strung today…?

Orihime stared at the door Ichigo and Hirako had just disappeared through, slightly surprised he has intervened on her behalf. She glanced at Chad. He nodded at her, showing he understood her silent question.

There was something going on between their friend and Hirako, and they were going to get to the bottom of it.

[ | ]

"_Ouch!_!" Shinji grunted in pain when Ichigo slammed him against the wall in the hall. "That hurt! Why are you so pissed_!_?" Shinji asked, annoyed. "It's not like Orihime-chan's your girlfriend or anything… I doubt someone like you is capable of getting a hottie like that."

"_That's not it!"_ Ichigo snapped. "But, you should probably apologize to Inoue after we go back! I think that's how it goes…"

"And that's why you're not the one to be preaching." Hirako deadpanned as he stuck out his tongue. This kid shouldn't be talking when he obviously didn't have _any_ experience with women.

"Hirako… why the hell are you still coming to school?" Ichigo asked seriously.

"Don't act so stupid! It's the duty of every student to go to school, right?" Shinji responded drolly.

"The reason you came to this school was to recruit me, right_!_? So you shouldn't have any reason to come to school now_!_!" Ichigo shouted, frustrated. Why couldn't Hirako just drop the act already_!_?

"… _What the hell?"_ Shinji asked, narrowing his eyes, as he frowned slightly and fixed Ichigo with a sharp look.

"_!"_ Ichigo said as his eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"Surely you don't think I'd give up just because of what happened yesterday, do ya? I'm a very persistent person. I'll keep following you around 'til I get a yes." Shinji said seriously. "Besides, it's already too late, you know. Once the symptoms appear, there's no turning back. Once you're a Visored, you'll always a Visored. Whether you like it or not, you're already one of us, Ichigo."

A bead of cold sweat rolled down Ichigo's face as he stared down at Shinji, stunned and disturbed.

_No way…_

Shinji sighed as he bowed his head slightly.

"Orihime-chan… that big guy… the four-eyes… even those Shinigami… You think they're your friends, don't you? Well, you're wrong!" Shinji said grimly. "You may be friends now, but… if you continue as a Shinigami, you'll slowly be devoured by the hollow inside you and lose your mind. When that happens, it's game over. Your own power will destroy everything. Your friends, as well as your future will all be swallowed up and smashed to pieces." He smirked. "Seriously… haven't you noticed it already? The fact that the hollow inside of you… is getting stronger at an unimaginable rate. Come with me, Ichigo. I'll teach you how to maintain your sanity."


	11. Resolve 2

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

"English speech"  
"Japanese speech"  
'Thoughts'  
[ | ] Scene transition and/or time lapse  
(…) shift from one separate group's perspective to another within the same ongoing scene.  
**Setting/scene**  
Flashbacks and changes in POVs will be labeled as needed (unless stated otherwise, it will be third person omniscient)  
SOUND EFFECTS WILL BE IN ALL CAPS

* * *

_**Resolve: Part 2**_

* * *

**Later that Day**

"Haa–ah! I'm so tired!" Shinji sighed heavily with annoyance as he walked home from school. Even though Ichigo had left early, Shinji had decided to stick it out for the rest of the day since pestering Ichigo when he was brooding like that wouldn't accomplish anything, and returning to the warehouse just meant he would have to sit around and listen to Hiyori throw a fit about how he _still_ hadn't brought Ichigo back yet. He'd already had enough of that last night… However…

He frowned in irritation as he remembered the boring day he'd had after his confrontation with Ichigo.

"I guess it's 'cuz I'm not used to this kind of activity… and what's with giving us a test right after we get back from summer break? So stupid!" He vented as he slung his bag over his shoulder and ran a hand through his hair as he sauntered down the street. "Also, why do I have to go to school to recruit Ichigo? This really sucks! I should've just had Seren do it! She's only one year older than Ichigo, anyway!"

He was so focused on venting his frustrations with the Japanese school system, that he didn't even notice when a certain someone raised their flip-flopped foot, preparing to strike from behind.

Steady… Aim… _Fire!_

_BAAMMM!_

"Waah—!" Shinji yelled in surprised when a swift kick in the rear suddenly propelled him headfirst into the nearest street lamp. _"Ooowww!_!" He shouted indignantly, whipping his head around to see who his attacker was. It had better not be Seren again! This pole was made of steel—_steel!_ Was she trying to split his skull open by kicking him into something so hard_!_? _"What the hell_…_!_?" Shinji flinched in surprise and broke out into a nervous sweat when he realized who his attacker was.

Nevermind, he took that back… he was starting to wish it really had been Seren… He was startled to see Hiyori standing there in her red tracksuit, already wearing an expression of extreme annoyance on her face as she stared down at him.

'Che! As if I'd ever want to kiss this baldy…!' She thought, scowling. Seren was a hundred years too early to talk about stuff she didn't even understand…

"Hi… Hiyori…!" Shinji stuttered nervously, realizing he must be in some deep fertilizer if she had shown up in person like this instead of waiting for him to come back on his own.

Without even the slightest change in her expression, Hiyori kicked her foot out to the side and caught her flip-flop as it flew into the air. Time to work off some of her frustration with this stupid father/daughter duo!

"_What the hell are ya wastin' time for here, ya dumbass_!_!_?" Hiyori roared furiously as she smacked him mercilessly across the face with her sandal. The sound of the impact echoed down the empty road.

"_Sorry…!"_ Shinji managed to cough out as he was sent flying from the force of her brutal attack.

"_Where's Kurosaki Ichigo!_?" She demanded, brandishing her flip-flop threateningly at him as she clenched her fist around a clump of hair on his head to keep him from escaping.

"He's still…" Shinji said nervously.

"_Whaddaya mean 'he's still…_'_!_? _What've you been doing!_!_?_ _Didn't I tell ya to say whatever you needed to in order to get him to join!_!_?"_

"I can talk all I want, but it doesn't help if he doesn't want to listen_!_!"

"_Then just bring him here by force!_!"

"What_!_? That's totally different from what you said before_!_!"

"… Found you." Another familiar voice said as two figures approached them. Hiyori released Shinji and glanced behind her at the two newcomers. She frowned slightly at the two humans. They were a gorgeous, busty, redhead girl and a big, Hispanic guy who looked a little old for a high schooler.

"Orihime-chan…!" Shinji said, honestly surprised that they had managed to follow him despite how careful he had been to cover his trail.

"Shinji." Hiyori said calmly, crooking her finger at him to signal that he should come closer.

"?" Shinji said, wondering what she might be wanting to whisper to him that was so important.

The instant he got closer, Hiyori grabbed a fistful of hair and head-butted him right between the eyes with enough force to crack a skull.

"_You were followed, dipshit!"_ She scolded him, vein throbbing on her forehead, as she roughly shoved him away.

"…" Shinji said shakily as he held his poor, injured face in his hands. Hiyori was merciless…!

"Because I thought that… even if I asked Kurosaki-kun what was going on, I'm sure he would just tell me it was nothing. So I thought I should ask you directly, Hirako-kun." Orihime said bravely as she stepped forward. "Who are you? What do you want with Kurosaki-kun…?"

"Hah!" Hiyori scoffed, furrowing her brow slightly in annoyance. "You really think we're just gonna to tell you?"

[ | ]

**Meanwhile,  
Urahara Shōten**

"I'm back… finally…" Seren announced, sighing tiredly as she slumped onto the floor, laden with bags of miscellaneous items. She had finally managed to get everything that was on Urahara's list, and she was running low on energy… She should have known things would turn out this way the moment Urahara had told her this was 'punishment'…

"Oh! Kisuke, Seren's back!" Yoruichi shouted as she walked over to the exhausted girl, in her cat form. "Oi, you still alive, Seren?" She teased, nudging the girl with her nose.

"… Barely…" She mumbled weakly as Urahara, slave driver extraordinaire, waltzed into the room.

"Ah, excellent~! Now that you're back, I want you to help me with something." Urahara said brightly.

"_Haah?"_ Seren asked, scowling slightly, as she stared up at him in annoyance and disbelief from her spot on the floor. _No way was she moving_. She refused! This wasn't just punishment anymore—It was abuse!

"My, my! What a dissatisfied face~! There's no need to give me such a scary look." Urahara teased as he gently poked her furrowed brow. "I meant after you had a little break, of course. For the next stage, I'll need to borrow some of your artistic talent."

"… You never did tell me what is you're working on…?" Seren said, pouting slightly at his teasing. He was treating her like a kid again…

"Hm? Oh, don't worry about that… It's just a little something that was requested by an old acquaintance of mine." Urahara said cryptically.


	12. Conquistadores

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

"English speech"  
"Japanese speech"  
'Thoughts'  
[ | ] Scene transition and/or time lapse  
(…) shift from one separate group's perspective to another within the same ongoing scene.  
**Setting/scene**  
Flashbacks and changes in POVs will be labeled as needed (unless stated otherwise, it will be third person omniscient)  
SOUND EFFECTS WILL BE IN ALL CAPS

* * *

_**Conquistadores**_

* * *

**About A Block  
From Karakura High**

"Sarugaki Hiyori!" Hiyori suddenly stated bluntly.

"Huh?" Orihime asked as she and Sado stared at her, surprised. What was she saying? Hadn't she just implied she wasn't going to tell them anything?

"What do you mean 'huh?' That's my name! My name!" Hiyori told them, pointing at herself with her thumb. "So now it's your turn!"

"… Inoue Orihime." Orihime answered obediently, sweat dropping.

"… Sado Yasutora." Sado replied, also sweat dropping.

"_Ha!"_ Hiyori laughed abruptly. She furrowed her brow in annoyance. "A 'princess' and a 'tiger', huh? Such excessive names! We're just a 'monkey' and a 'hira'! I'm _so_ jealous!" Hiyori laughed cynically as she threw her head back defiantly.

"What the heck is a 'hira'?" Shinji asked boredly, picking his nose, to show how utterly _uninterested_ he was in this little fight Hiyori was picking with the two teens. "So, I'm the only one who isn't even a living thing, is that it? Don't include me when it doesn't even make sense, idiot."

Besides, if she really thought those names were excessive, then what about 'Seren'? Not only was it meant to be a shortened form of a rather extravagant English word, Serendipity, but in Japanese, it was written with the kanji for 'world' and 'link', so her name also meant something like a 'majorly important link or lynchpin holding the world together'. You couldn't get much more excessive than that…

_SMACK!_

"_Gyaa–––!"_ Shinji yelled in pain as Hiyori's flip-flop of doom slammed into his face.

Orihime and Sado just stared at them, not sure how to react. Weren't they supposed to be friends…?

"Also, what's with those big breasts and silky, long hair! Looking at you is really unpleasant!" Hiyori said, acting as though she hadn't just given Shinji a bloody nose.

"You're just biased… and you're specifically targeting Orihime-chan…" Shinji muttered as he held his bleeding nose. What was Hiyori's problem today? This was more than just her usual inferiority complex rearing its ugly head again…

_SMACK!_

"_Gyaa–––!" _Shinji yelled in pain as Hiyori's second attack actually_ broke_ his nose this time.

Once again, Orihime and Sado just stared at them, not sure how to react. Seriously… what were they doing…?

"Oh well… I don't really have anything to say here, so…" Hiyori said as she put her flip-flop back on and raised a hand to the sword strapped to her back, while Shinji trembled in pain and cradled his broken nose, unable to even offer a comeback at the moment. "I'll just… kill you now." She said gravely as she gripped the hilt of her zanpakutō.

"_!"_ Shinji said, instantly snapping to attention when he sensed her killing intent.

_WOOOSH!_

Before Orihime and Sado could even process what she had just said, Shinji had already grabbed Hiyori and was hauling her away at top speed.

"_Sorry! Excuse us—!_!" He shouted as he flew past them, determined to get away before Hiyori could break free his grip. _What the hell was she thinking, trying to attack Ichigo's friends!_? He'd never join them if they did that!

"W–Wait…!" Orihime shouted after him anxiously, preparing to give chase.

"Stop, Inoue!" Sado said urgently.

"Sado-kun…!" Orihime said nervously as she halted, wondering why he was trying to stop her from chasing the people who most likely held all of the answers to their questions.

"Aren't you aware of it, too?" He asked her as a bead of sweat slid down his face. "It would be impossible for us to catch them at that speed."

"…!" Orihime said, realizing he was right, since Shinji and Hiyori had already vanished from sight.

"And… if we actually catch up to them…" He added, swallowing nervously. "We'll really… get killed."

[ | ]

"_Shinji! Let go of me, Baldy! They were playing games with us!"_ Hiyori shouted furiously, struggling to escape from his grip as he continued to run through the sky, carrying her over his shoulder.

Couldn't he at least carry her a little more delicately_!_? She was a girl, not a sack of potatoes!

"No, they weren't, idiot! Our target is Ichigo! Don't start a commotion with the others!" He scolded her.

"Shut up! Let go!" She shouted as she rammed her finger up his bum hole.

"_Ogyaaa—!"_ Shinji shrieked miserably from the sharp stab of pain. It hurt so bad that he turned extremely pale and broke out into a cold sweat. _This girl wasn't cute at all!_! _"Stop with the kanchō, already!"_ He demanded furiously. A vein throbbed on his head when she kept up the torture.

Right, this means war!

_"I told you to stop, didn't I!_?" He roared incredulously as he commenced his counter attack and shoved one of his own fingers up her ass.

"_Hyaaaaa…!_!_!"_ Hiyori screamed, flinching in shock as she joined Shinji in his suffering, cringing. "_Stupid Baldy! Now no man'll want to marry me anymore!_!" She cried furiously.

"_Shut up! That was punishment! A little punishment for a naughty kid!"_ Shinji snapped as a vein throbbed on his head. What the hell_!_? Why would _kanchō_ interfere with her chances of being a bride_!_? He wasn't touching her anywhere _that_ place…! Che! Whatever! It really became a problem, he'd just take responsibility for it himself…!

"—…" Hiyori said, relaxing as they both simultaneously surrendered in their little kanchō battle, even though Shinji had yet to let go of her. "I really, really hate… humans…" She said quietly as an unwanted image of Seren's mother with Shinji suddenly surfaced in her mind. She couldn't forgive that woman for what she had done to Shinji and Seren… how much she had hurt the two of them with her selfishness…

"I know." Shinji said patiently, furrowing his brow slightly. He knew full well what she meant. "Just don't let Seren hear you say that… She'll take it the wrong way."

Hiyori turned her head away so he wouldn't see the expression on her face.

"I really hate… Shinigami, too…"

"… I know." Shinji said gently, closing his eyes. "That's why I told you to wait, idiot. But, seriously… Don't let Seen hear that. She's knows she's not considered a true Visored, even though she's my daughter, since she doesn't have a mask or an inner hollow, like us. It'll be troublesome if that kid cries… since she never lets us see her tears…"

It was their fault she had developed such a bad habit. Seren had always been conscientious of others, even as a toddler. After realizing how much they were all struggling with their inner demons and the stress that came along with trying to raise a child while on the run, she had stopped crying in front of them. She had done it for their sakes, so they wouldn't have as much to worry about… If it weren't for Urahara, she probably never would have told him.

_A child shouldn't have to suffer like that to support her parents…_

"I wouldn't do something like that, Baldy." Hiyori replied solemnly.

No matter what had happened, no matter what sides of them she saw… that tiny hand never once stopped reaching out to them… Seren never once averted her eyes from their true selves. Even as a little girl, Seren had always been strong enough to accept them for what they were. That little girl they had spent so many years protecting was probably, in reality, stronger than any of them… and they all knew it, too. Before she came into their lives, they hadn't been able to move forward at all, but now… even Hiyori could feel herself starting to heal, little by little…

_Just how many times have they been saved by that kid's love?_


	13. Conquistadores 2

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

"English speech"  
"Japanese speech"  
'Thoughts'  
[ | ] Scene transition and/or time lapse  
(…) shift from one separate group's perspective to another within the same ongoing scene.  
**Setting/scene**  
Flashbacks and changes in POVs will be labeled as needed (unless stated otherwise, it will be third person omniscient)  
SOUND EFFECTS WILL BE IN ALL CAPS

* * *

_**Conquistadores: Part 2**_

* * *

**Late Afternoon,  
Urahara Shōten**

"Thanks for the hard work~!" Urahara said brightly as he set a glass of milk down in front of Seren and a saucer of milk in front of kitty Yoruichi.

"Thanks." Seren said, smiling wryly as she took a sip. "But, wow… I can't believe you're actually making a—_!_?"

They all immediately snapped to attention when wave of two _massive_ and _extremely _powerful hollow reiatsu suddenly washed over them.

"These reiatsu… Don't tell me they're both… complete…?" Seren asked a little nervously as Yoruichi suddenly transformed back into her human form, stark naked. "Wah! How many times do I have to tell you not to do that, Yoruichi-san_!_?" She scolded the older woman. This wasn't the first time she had unwillingly witnessed Yoruichi's transformation from a black cat to a naked woman, but that didn't mean she was desensitized enough to be okay with it! Seren just couldn't understand how Yoruichi could be so blasé about her little episodes of public nudity. She was _so_ glad the kids weren't around to see this!

Urahara didn't even bat an eyelash as Yoruichi stalked right past him on her way out of the room to put on some clothes. He just continued on as though it hadn't even happened. Well, being childhood friends, he was used to all of Yoruichi's idiosyncrasies by now.

"Seren-chan, while Yoruichi-san is getting ready, please go get _that_ medicine for me, will you?" Urahara said as he readjusted his hat. "I have a feeling we'll need it."

He could sense Orihime and Sado's reiatsu flare up, and Ichigo wouldn't be able to beat them to the fight in time to keep them out of it, and even _he_ would have trouble taking on one of those arrancar, let alone two. None of those kids had any idea what they were getting themselves into...

"Oh, and Seren-chan…" Urahara said, causing her to pause and glance back at him a little curiously. "I won't stop you from coming along this time, but make sure not to expose your shinigami form to them. The less Aizen knows about you, the better."

[ | ]

**In The Eastern Part  
Of The Karakuchi District**

"Hah_!_! I don't know what's going on, but he's suddenly stopped moving_!_!" Yammy said, grinning smugly, as he gripped the back of Ichigo's head tightly in his large hand.

Ichigo's vision was starting to blur as he stared at Orihime and Sado's un unconscious bodies that were lying prone on the grass just a few feet away. He had to move… _He needed to move…!_

Yammy had thought this shinigami brat might actually be a bit of a challenge, but now he was as limp as a rag doll. _He was going to make this kid regret what he did to his arm._

"Then, die_!_!" Yammy roared as he began to ruthlessly beat Ichigo again and again.

'How strange… all of a sudden that brat's reiatsu started fluctuating. The range of the fluctuation is amazing…' Ulquiorra thought as he calmly watched the carnage taking place in front of him. 'At the lowest point, he is just trash… but at the highest point, he is above me… Where is the logic in this?'

"_It's over, brat! I'm going to crush you into a bloody pulp!"_ Yammy bellowed as he raised his fist high in the air. He swung it down with as much force as he could muster. He was going to reduce this shinigami brat to a puddle of red goo!

_WHAAMMM!_!

Yammy's triumphant grin faltered when the cloud of dust that had been thrown up from the force of his punch cleared, revealing a crimson shield of incredibly dense spiritual energy.

"Huh…_!_?" Yammy said, sneering in displeasure. The hell was this…?

"Hello~! Sorry that I'm so late, Kurosaki-san." Urahara said as he let the hexagonal shield shatter and blow away in the wind. He stood in front of Ichigo with Benihime raised slightly above his head. Yoruichi and Seren were flanking him on both sides.

Ichigo's eyes widened slightly in surprise as he stared up at them. He was glad to see Urahara and Yoruichi, but… who was that girl with them? There was something vaguely familiar about her…

Urahara smirked. It seems they had made it just in time. The others were severely injured, but there were no fatalities.

"What…_!_? They just keep coming one after the other…" Yammy muttered grudgingly. Couldn't he finish at least one fight without someone popping up to interfere? "Butting in like this… _means you want me to kill you first, right!_?" Yammy leered at them as he pulled his fist back, preparing to deliver another powerful blow.

Yoruichi narrowed her eyes as she grabbed his wrist.

Yammy never even saw her coming. His eyes widened slightly when he felt himself being flipped over and then being slammed hard into the ground.

_BAAM!_!

The force of the impact from Yammy slamming into the ground shattered the earth around him, forming a crater.

Seren whistled in appreciation.

_Nice one._

"What… the… hell…_!_?" Yammy groaned, trying to glare at them, despite how dazed he was from Yoruichi's flawless attack.

Ulquiorra didn't say anything. He just stood there calmly and watched.

"_Damn youuu…!_!" Yammy roared furiously as he jumped to his feet and tried to smash them with his fist again. All three of them side-stepped the attack quite easily. The arrancar was big, but he was slow.

"_Hold it… right there!_!_!"_ Yammy shouted as he went after Yoruichi again, enraged that she kept making him look like a fool.

"Seren, go treat Inoue." Yoruichi said as she passed her by. Orihime had already healed Sado enough to keep his life from being endangered by his wounds, and Urahara could take care of Ichigo since he would probably be to stubborn to take something offered to him by a stranger without asking too many questions.

"Give me the medicine." Seren asked Urahara as Yoruichi jumped onto Yammy's fist as he slammed it into the ground again and delivered a powerful kick to his jaw.

"Here you go~" He complied easily, removing a couple of pills for Ichigo before handing it over, and they both went to take care of their charges.

Yoruichi continued her attack on Yammy, delivering a double fisted blow to the top of his head, followed by brutal drop-kick. The large arrancar drop to his knees and collapsed with loud crash that sent lots of debris flying.

Yoruichi had to keep herself from wincing as she calmly walked over to check on Seren and Orihime.

"It's alright, Inoue-san. I'm a friend. I have some medicine from Urahara-san that will help you. Can you swallow?" Seren asked Orihime as she checked the other girl's injuries. There was a lot of blood on the left side of her face and shoulder. Head injuries tend to bleed a lot by nature, so hopefully it wasn't as bad as it looked, but her shoulder and arm were severely damaged and broken. If she didn't take this medicine soon, Orihime would probably go into shock. She was already starting to shake.

"Y… Yes…" Orihime said weakly. She gasped when Yoruichi joined them. "Yo… Yoru…ichi… san…?" She asked hopefully, looking extremely relieved to see a familiar face.

"Yeah." Yoruichi said calmly as she, too, assessed Orihime's injuries. They had really done a number on the poor girl. She slid an arm under Orihime's back, and helped her sit up a little with Seren's help, so the medicine would go down easier. Seren frowned slightly, concerned, when she noticed that one of Yoruichi's hands had been injured.

"Ku.. Kuro… saki… kun! He…" Orihime said anxiously, still worried for her friends despite her own terrible condition.

"He's fine. Don't worry." Yoruichi reassured her. "You need to take this medicine."

"O… Okay…" Orihime agreed shakily and let Seren feed her the pill.

"_Bwahah!"_ Yammy gasped loudly for air as he suddenly pushed himself up from his face plant in the dirt.

"What a persistent guy…" Yoruichi said, furrowing her brow slightly in annoyance, as she and Seren glanced at him. This guy might be dumb as a rock, but he was incredibly tough.

"_Kill…!_" Yammy said darkly through his labored breathing, glaring furiously at Yoruichi. He clenched his fist tightly until his large knuckles turned white.

'Is he going to try that same attack again…?' Seren wondered dubiously. Didn't this guy ever learn?

"_I'm going to… kill you!_!_!"_ He roared as he drew back and opened his mouth wide.

"_!_" Yoruichi and Seren gasped when a ball of red energy started to form in his big mouth.

"Cero_!_!"

_FLAAASSSH! BOOOOMMM!_!

Mere seconds after Yammy unleashed his massive cero, the sky glowed crimson and a mushroom cloud could be seen blooming over the spot the girls had been, even from a great distance.

The sound of the arrancar's maniacal laughter could be heard as the dust settled.

"_Take that! Now you're dust!_!It's impossible to dodge my cero at this… range…" Yammy started to boast. His victorious smirk fell. "What…_!_?"

The arrancar was seriously surprised to see Urahara standing there, in between him and his intended victims. One hand held his zanpakutō pointed straight at Yammy, while the other held his hat securely on his head so it wouldn't be blown away by the explosion. He was smirking.

That _really_ pissed Yammy off.

"_You…! Who are you_…_!_?" Yammy demanded incredulously. _"What did you do…!_? _How did you dodge my cero…!_?"

"As you can imagine… It would have been dangerous for everyone around me if I simply repelled it, so I just negated it by hitting it with a similar attack." Urahara explained matter-of-factly.

"_Say what…!_!_?"_ Yammy shouted furiously in disbelief.

"If you don't believe me… how would you like to see it for yourself?" Urahara asked as he shifted his stance. His grey eyes were cold and hard as he gave the command. _"Nake, Benihime."_

Powerful arc of crimson energy flew forth from his blade as he swung it through the air, surging towards the shocked arrancar. There was nothing he could do to stop it. He was too slow to be able to dodge it in time. It was game over for Yammy.

There was a flash of white.

Their eyes widened in surprise as Ulquiorra, who had been watching silently on the sidelines until now, deflected Urahara's attack with one swift chop of his hand, shattering the crimson arc.

"!" Urahara said, surprised. It would have taken a lot of skill and an _immensely_ sharp concentration of reiatsu to be able to do that. This guy was dangerous…

"Ulquiorra…" Yammy started to say, when his fellow arrancar suddenly delivered another powerful hand chop to his gut, sending Yammy sliding back a couple of feet, before falling to his knees.

'_Damn…'_ Seren thought, blinking in surprise. She knew this guy was strong from how he had deflected Urahara's attack, but for him to effortlessly send that living mountain skidding back like that, when one of Yoruichi's kicks had one succeeded in breaking his jaw… That was just intense!

"_Wha… What are you… doing…!_?" Yammy demanded incredulously, coughing, as he held his aching abdomen.

"Fool! You're too reckless, Yammy." Ulquiorra scolded him calmly. "Those two are Shihōin Yoruichi and Urahara Kisuke. At your current level, it is impossible for you to win, no matter how much you try. I don't know who that girl they brought with them is, but she's just trash." Ulquiorra informed Yammy.

"_Excuse me?"_ Seren deadpanned sarcastically as a vein throbbed on her forehead. _Who_ was trash_!_?

"We're leaving." Ulquiorra told Yammy, ignoring her, as he flicked his wrist and opened up a garganta just big enough for himself and the other arrancar.

"Running away?" Yoruichi called after them.

"What a foolish taunt. It's obvious who has the advantage… when the two of you are trying to protect that worthless trash while fighting against us at the same time." Ulquiorra said coolly. "I've completed the mission assigned to me. I'm going to report to Aizen-sama that… the 'fake' shinigami he had his eyes set on… is trash that isn't even worth killing."


	14. Death&StrawberryRevised

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

"English speech"  
"Japanese speech"  
'Thoughts'  
[ | ] Scene transition and/or time lapse  
(…) shift from one separate group's perspective to another within the same ongoing scene.  
**Setting/scene**  
Flashbacks and changes in POVs will be labeled as needed (unless stated otherwise, it will be third person omniscient)  
SOUND EFFECTS WILL BE IN ALL CAPS

* * *

_**Death & Strawberry [Reprised]**_

* * *

"Tch! That emo-looking guy pisses me off…" Seren muttered darkly as she bandaged Yoruichi's arm for her. "… Calling other people 'trash'…"

"That's just because you were wearing those synthetic sekkiseki earrings that Kisuke made for you a while back, in addition to consciously keeping your reiatsu low. Anyone who doesn't know you would've assumed you were just a normal human." Yoruichi reminded her, smiling slightly, as she watched the younger girl blush a little and tuck her hair behind one of her delicate ears exposing the earring in question.

He had made them for her a few days into their training after realizing just how much potential she had. They acted as a safety net to keep Hollows from noticing spikes in her reiatsu while she was learning to keep it under control. Seren didn't actually need them now, since she had become very skilled in controlling her reiatsu and could easily defeat most hollows by herself, but she still wore them out of habit… and sentiment.

"Anyway… I can't believe you got hurt just from hitting that mountain with legs… At least none of your bones were broken, I guess." Seren said, smiling wryly, as she finished the last bandage and shut the first-aid kit.

"That's because I'm always drinking milk!" Yoruichi said, grinning proudly, as she held up her glass with her uninjured hand.

"No, no, I think you're giving the calcium level in there _way_ too much credit!" Seren corrected, waving her hand at such a silly notion. "Even if drinking lots of milk is supposed to give you strong bones, there's a limit, you know…"

"Whatever." Yoruichi said carelessly, shrugging slightly. "Anyway, I've been taken care of, why don't you go check on Ichigo? Kisuke and Tessai are still using healing kidō on Inoue and Chad. Ichigo said he could manage by himself, but that kid can be pretty troublesome sometimes. Make sure he isn't just off sulking by himself." She added, frowning slightly in concern.

Since their injuries were pretty severe and had been inflicted directly on their human bodies, Orihime and Sado had needed immediate attention. Ichigo was pretty messed up as well, but since he had been in his shinigami form, he could take a beating a lot better than them, thanks to his massive reiatsu. They weren't pretty, but none of his wounds were life-threatening after taking Urahara's special medicine.

"Okay." Seren said, nodding in understanding, as she stood and went to do just that. "Take care of Yoruichi-san for me." She told Ururu and Jinta, patting them on the head reassuringly as she passed.

(…)

"..." Seren said as she stared down at Ichigo, who was leaning back against the wall as he stared out at the darkened sky, watching the rain fall.

Yoruichi's suspicions had been proven right. He was obviously sulking and wallowing in self-depreciation after his defeat. He hadn't even touched the first-aid kit they had left out for him. The room was heavy with an incredibly dismal atmosphere.

"If you stay like that, mushrooms will grow on you…" Seren deadpanned to break the oppressive silence.

"!" Ichigo said, startled. He had been so absorbed in his pity party, that he had hadn't even noticed she was there. "You…! Who are you, again…?"

"I'm Seren. You're Kurosaki Ichigo-kun, right? I've heard a lot about you from Kisuke-san and Yoruichi-san." Seren said, smiling kindly at him as she grabbed the first-aid kit.

"Seren, huh? You look kind of familiar… Have we met before? How do you know Urahara?" Ichigo asked, furrowing his brow slightly, as he tired to figure out what it was about her that seemed so familiar while she started treating his wounds. He didn't have enough energy to raise any protest against being treated by a stranger, like he might have if he were feeling better. Besides, he knew Urahara and the others were busy taking care of Orihime and Chad, and he wasn't going to anything that might interfere with that.

"I'm pretty sure I'd remember if we did, but I've been coming here off and on since I was little, so it's possible." Seren replied absentmindedly as she focused on wrapping a bandage around his head wound. "Like you, I've been training under Kisuke-san to master my shinigami powers, but right now—"

"_Ehhh!_?" Ichigo exclaimed loudly, right next to her ear.

"_!_!" Seren yelped, wincing at the sharp pain in her throbbing eardrum. "Could you _please _not yell in my ear like that_!_?" She shouted incredulously, shooting him a sharp look.

"Ah, sorry… I was just surprised..." Ichigo apologized, rubbing the back of his neck. "I thought you were human, like me…"

"I am. What? Did you really think you were the only one able to become a 'living' shinigami?" She said, raising an eyebrow at the stunned look on his face.

"I… I don't know." Ichigo said honestly. "I guess I just never thought about it before… Urahara never mentioned you."

"Oh… Well, now you know." Seren said, smiling wryly, as she applied the last bandage, slapping his cheek lightly. "I'm basically your sempai, in a sense… So, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I know he has a habit of being a little too cryptic sometimes. My nickname for him when I was little was 'Fortune cookie-sensei', because he sounded just like the ones that give you advice, you know?"

"Yeah, and he does crazy stuff that always seems totally random, but it always ends up working out in the end." Ichigo said, nodding his head in agreement. "Like when he made me go in that hole that speed up the hollowfication process of a soul in order for me to be able to activate my shinigami powers… _Wasn't that the worst…?"_ Ichigo muttered darkly, feeling irritated just remembering it. He still couldn't believe those kids spit on him… Still, it was thanks to that, that he was able to save Rukia from being executed…

But, now… _Now he couldn't even protect his friends because of that damn hollow inside of him…!_

"I'm sorry, Ichigo-kun…" Seren said when she saw the guilt in his eyes as he bowed his head and clenched his fist. He had obviously started thing about something depressing again. "… But I never did anything like that during my training with him~!" She confessed, smiling apologetically, as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"What…? But, then… how did you activate your powers?" He asked, staring at her like she had just grown a second head, snapping out of his funk due to his surprise.

"Well, I'd been dreaming about Yato, my zanpakutō, so after cutting my chain of fate, he put one of those artificial souls in my body to keep it from shutting down and getting damaged from going too long without breathing. Then, I did some training dodging a couple of basic attacks to strengthen my soul, and I spent the next few days trying to meditate or dream my way into my inner world again…" Seren explained, slowing her roll when she noticed the waves of irritation radiating from Ichigo.

"So, there was that method, too… That slipper-hat bastard…!" Ichigo muttered darkly as a vein throbbed on his forehead. Seren sweat dropped.

_Just what the heck did they do to this poor guy…?_

"A-Ah, but… that's probably just because I had more time than you! You were in a hurry to save, Rukia-san, right? You couldn't afford to take things slow. Kisuke-san wouldn't have done something so risky otherwise—not unless he thought it was absolutely necessary, so don't get too mad at him, all right?" She said quickly, trying to calm him down before he reopened his wounds. "It took me a whole week to do it the other way, and that was when my zanpakutō had already started reaching out to me. It probably would've taken someone who couldn't hear their zanpakutō's spirit at least three times as long as that…" She sighed in relief when Ichigo relaxed a little. He must have decided to let Urahara off for now…

(…)

"That should do it…" Urahara said, sighing as he sat back and looked over Orihime again. Her wounds weren't life-threatening anymore, at least. Her face was much better too, however, using kidō to repair human bodies was a bit trickier than using it on bodies made of concentrated reiki, since it was originally intended for use on soul to begin with. The medicine would have to do the rest. At least Orihime hadn't had to be conscious for this part. She had passed out from the pain on their way back to the shop.

He considered dressing Orihime's remaining wounds himself, but decided against it. Orihime would undoubtedly prefer to be treated by a fellow female for this part, since he'd have to remove her shirt, and Seren probably wouldn't be too pleased with him either…

Yep. It would definitely be better if he asked Seren to do this part. They needed to find some clean clothes for her to change into, too. Her school uniform was completely ruined now.

Urahara sighed tiredly as he stood and exited the room, making his way towards the room Ichigo was waiting in. He didn't need to worry about Sado with Tessai looking after him, but he had a feeling Ichigo might be beating himself up over this too much…

He was about to open the door, when he overheard Seren and Ichigo discussing his training methods.

'So… He's still bothered by that, huh?' Urahara thought, smiling wryly as he sweat dropped. Maybe he had teased the boy a little too much, after all… However, Urahara was a little surprised to hear Ichigo's next question.

(…)

"Hey, Seren… after gaining your powers… did you…? I mean… have you ever… Has a hollow mask ever formed on your face?" Ichigo asked hesitantly, watching her with guarded eyes as he waited for her answer.

"… No. I've never had a hollow mask form on me." Seren replied solemnly. For a moment, Ichigo thought he saw an unreadable expression pass over her face, but it was gone just as quickly as it had appeared. "I don't have an inner hollow, either… Is that what's been bothering you?" She asked, genuinely concerned. She was pretty sure she already knew the answer, but Ichigo clearly needed someone to talk to, so she waited patiently for his response.

"… Yeah. I thought I could control it, but… when I was fighting those guys from earlier… Even though I managed to keep it from taking over my consciousness, it somehow got control of my body instead. Since I wouldn't let him out, he wouldn't let me fight. I couldn't move at all." Ichigo admitted grimly, clenching his fist in frustration.

"I see… I'm sorry I can't help you, Ichigo-kun." Seren apologized sincerely. If she had inherited more of her father's Visored traits, then she might at least be able to do _something_ for him. She was tempted to tell him to go to her father for help, but seeing how little progress he was able to make with recruiting Ichigo… Enlightening him about their relationship as father and daughter would probably just make him suspicious of her, and then he wouldn't have anyone to talk to. "Do you want to ask Kisuke-san about it?" Seren asked Ichigo, somewhat puzzled as to why he hadn't done so yet, despite being in so much trouble.

"No. Knowing him, he's probably already figured it out… And if he had a solution, he would have told me by now." Ichigo stated calmly, turning his head back to stare out the window again. Seren sighed. It looked like that was the end of their discussion on the matter for now. Well, there probably wasn't much left to say anyway…

"Oh, I see you're being well taken care of, Kurosaki-san~!" Urahara said as he abruptly, but somehow still rather casually, slid the door open and joined them before an awkward silence could form.

"How are Inoue and Chad…?" Ichigo asked seriously as he turned his attention to the shopkeeper.

"They'll be fine. Their lives aren't in danger, but they will have to stay here for the night." Urahara stated calmly. "Sado-san is still sleeping, and Tessai-san is watching over him. I've finished doing what I can for Inoue-san with kidō, so I thought I should ask Seren-chan to switch with me. It'd be a big help if you could bandage Inoue-san's wounds and help her change into some clean clothes." He noticed Seren was giving him a rather odd look. "Problem, Seren-chan?"

"No, but… do you seriously think any of my shirts will fit her?" Seren asked practically. Her serious doubt about that was written all over her face. After all, Seren was barely even a B-cup, and Orihime was, well… _stacked._

"Ah… I see your point…" Urahara said, hiding a smirk behind his fan as he let his eyes drop from Seren's face to her chest. Well, there was still time… She was a growing girl, after all, and, even if they didn't get any bigger… Seren was already well-proportioned for such a petite and slender girl. He didn't mind them being on the small side since they were both so perfectly—

"_Urahara-san_. Stop staring at my chest, or I'll tell '_You–Know–Who'_ that you're sexually harassing me… you _dirty old man_." Seren said icily, scooting cautiously away from him, as she crossed her arms over her chest, treating him like some kind of pervert…

Well, he was, actually… but he wasn't a _dangerous_ one_!_!

"…?" Ichigo said as he glanced between Seren and Urahara, who looked as though he had just been physically stabbed by her words and actions.

"Well, Yoruichi-san doesn't have a lot of clothes, but I'll see if I can find something comfortable for her." Seren said coolly as she exited the room, without looking back.

SHUT.

Seren sighed as she leaned against the door that she had just closed behind her. Her cheeks flushed rose-red with the blush she had been holding back.

That man was so confusing_!_! One minute, he's treating her like a child, and the next, he was staring at her chest_!_! It was true that she wanted him to stop treating her like a child and see her as the growing woman she was, but…

_Why the heck was he looking there in the first place!_?

And did he _really_ have to agree with the part about her being _super flat-chested_ in comparison to Orihime _so quickly!_? Even if it's true, he could've at least been a little more tactful…_!_!

(…)

"… Are you okay?" Ichigo asked the perverted shopkeeper after a moment of silence. He flinched in surprise when the older man suddenly fell to his knees.

"…_Old man… Sh…She called me… old…_!" Urahara mumbled incoherently, paling so much that he had turned blue with shock.

Sure, there was an age difference, but…_!_!

Ichigo sweat dropped as he watched. The man looked like a fallen warrior that had just been mortally wounded in battle… He wasn't quite sure what had just happened. Why was he suddenly acting like it was the end of the world_!_?

Whatever it was, Ichigo decided he didn't want to know. He had a feeling _some_ questions were just better left unasked...


	15. Death&StrawberryRevised2

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

"English speech"  
"Japanese speech"  
'Thoughts'  
[ | ] Scene transition and/or time lapse  
(…) shift from one separate group's perspective to another within the same ongoing scene.  
**Setting/scene**  
Flashbacks and changes in POVs will be labeled as needed (unless stated otherwise, it will be third person omniscient)  
SOUND EFFECTS WILL BE IN ALL CAPS

* * *

_**Death & Strawberry [Reprised]: Part 2**_

* * *

**Later, That Evening**

"…" Yoruichi said, deadpanning when she saw Urahara's pathetic little corner of woe.

Since the room that she and Seren were staying in was currently being occupied by Orihime, one of them would have to sleep elsewhere for a while. Yoruichi had been planning on bunking with her childhood friend, just like old times, but… _There was no way she was sharing a room with him while he was like that._

"Oi, Seren." Yoruichi said, crooking her finger to draw the girl closer to her do she could whisper in her ear. "What did you do to him?" She asked, getting straight to the point.

"Huh?" Seren said, furrowing her brow slightly, as she glanced between the depressed shopkeeper and curious feline. "Why do you automatically assume it's my fault he's like that? Come to think of it… I've never seen him look so down before…" She said thoughtfully. Whatever could shake the usually unflappable Urahara must be pretty terrible…

"Me neither, but you're the only one who could get that kind of reaction out of him. Trust me. I know because I've tried." Yoruichi explained, shrugging carelessly, as she recalled all of her past failures to ruffle her friend's feathers.

Seren sweat dropped. If _that_ was the type of reaction Yoruichi was aiming for, she could only imagine the different kinds of hell she must have put him through in the past…

No wonder he laughed in the face of danger.

"Well, it's true that I was a bit short with him earlier, but I don't think I said anything too harsh… I just called him a dirty old man for staring at my chest…" Seren admitted reluctantly.

"Oh, so that's what happened…" Yoruichi said thoughtfully, glancing at her moping friend. 'No wonder he's in such a funk… He's probably in shock from being called 'old' by his younger love interest.' She thought. Even though their physical 'ages' don't appear to be that far apart, Seren understood that Shinigami had incredibly long lifespans compared to humans, and none of the members of her dysfunctional family were anywhere close to being as young as they looked.

He was obviously just being paranoid, though. Seren didn't care about stuff like that. She just treated them the age they acted since it was too confusing and weird otherwise. It was already bad enough that she looked about the same age as her 110+ year old father, now. Just imagine the looks they got from people when she slipped up and called him 'Dad' in public…

"Well, whether you meant to or not, the damage is done." Yoruichi said, sighing, as she placed her hands on Seren's shoulders. "But we might be able to fix it… if we use '_that'_…"

[ | ]

**A Little Bit Later,  
Around Bedtime**

KNOCK. KNOCK.

Urahara had just finished changing for bed when someone knocked softly on the door, just loud enough to get his attention without disturbing the rest of the house.

"Come in." He said listlessly, expecting it to be either Yoruichi coming to invade his room for the night or Tessai coming to update him on how close that thing they had been working on was to being ready to enter the next stage of development.

"Excuse me, Kisuke-san… Is it all right if I sleep with you tonight?" Seren asked tentatively as she slid open the door, revealing her casual, yet tempting choice of nightwear that Yoruichi had picked out for the occasion. The petite teen was clad in an over-sized t-shirt that was just long enough to hide the little shorts she had on underneath, giving the allusion that the comfy shirt was the _only _thing she had on.

Urahara's hat dropped to floor when it missed the nightstand he usually set it on for safekeeping while he was sleeping, but he barely even noticed He was too busy keeping his jaw from dropping and his eyes on her face. Didn't she know how _dangerous_ it was for her to walk around in something like that_!_? Her legs looked _way_ too good in that_!_! Words could not describe how relieved he was that Ichigo wasn't around to see this—He didn't need anymore competition—And what was with that crazy choice of words_!_? There was no way she really meant that the way it sounded, right? Not that he would mind, but he had been planning on waiting a couple more years before making a move on Seren for Shinji's sake…

He slapped himself across the face, causing Seren to flinch in shock.

'Snap out of it, Kisuke…! This is Seren-chan—_your cute_ _Seren-chan!_! Don't get a head of yourself! If she really meant it that way, she would be blushing more, and you know she's too important to rush things like that_!_!' He mentally scolded himself.

"K-Kisuke–san…?" Seren asked cautiously, tiptoeing closer, as she furrowed her brow slightly in concern. "Are you alright…?"

"Hm? Oh, yes, I'm perfectly fine!" Urahara reassured her hastily, waving her worries away. "What were you saying, Seren-chan?" He asked, just in case the whole thing had been come kind of auditory hallucination.

"Um, I was wondering if it'd be all right if I slept with you in your room tonight, since Yoruichi-san is staying in her human form while she heals, and she took the last spare futon. She said yours is bigger, so it might be able to fit the both of us…" Seren explained, fidgeting a little nervously as she blushed. Darn Yoruichi—making her ask something so embarrassing! She had to admit, she was a little bit excited about having an excuse to be so close to him, but at the same time, she was worried he'd be able to tell how nervous she was…

How did Yoruichi expect her to be able sleep when she was in such an awkward situation_!_?

"Oh, is that all? In that case, there's plenty of room~!" Urahara said as he lifted the covers to let her in and patted the empty space beside him, grinning encouragingly at her. Just the sight of her blushing visage was enough to revive the handsome and perverted shopkeeper. _He's still got it._ "No need to be shy, Seren-chan~! Make yourself at home!" He said cheerfully.

'_So fast!_!' She thought, jumping slightly in surprise. Just like that, his air of depression was gone—_And when did he get into the futon!_?

Just how excited was he about their little sleepover_...!_?

[ | ]

**5 Days Later,**

**Urahara Shōten**

It was a beautiful and sunny day in Karakura Town. Anyone gazing up at this peaceful blue sky would probably find it hard to believe that the strange and mysterious incident—when a large crater suddenly appeared, and many of the people who had gathered around it unexpectedly dropped dead, right on the spot—was far from over…

However, there were a few exceptions… like the manager of certain candy shop.

"I'm back~" Urahara announced cheerfully as he entered his shop, holding up a plastic bag. It was a bit of a shame that he didn't have an excuse to share a futon with Seren anymore, since Orihime was well enough to be on her own again, but at least she and the others were healing up without any complications. "And I've bought juice~"

Ururu and Jinta stared glanced up at him from where they had been sitting in front of the closed doors of the room Yoruichi was currently occupying. They still couldn't believe how quickly their boss had snapped out of his funk once Seren had reassured him that she didn't _really_ see him as a (dirty) old man… She practically had the man wrapped around her little finger, and she didn't even seem to realize it… It was amazing how someone, who was smart enough to be able to understand Urahara's experiments and how they worked, could be so incredibly _slow_ about stuff like this…

"Ururu, Jinta." Urahara said, calling them to attention. "How's Yoruichi-san?"

(…)

"Buhaaah~!" Yoruichi gasped for air as she slammed down the huge bowl of rice that she had just finished emptying. Ever since she woke up this morning, she had been scarfing down food non-stop.

"Yoruichi-san… I know that eating helps you get more energy so you can heal faster, but please remember to _breathe_ every so often, alright?" Seren asked, slightly chagrined, as she sweat dropped. Yoruichi had been so focused on shoveling food into her mouth, that she hadn't breathed at all once she started a new dish, until she had finished with it.

"Looks like it's recovering well…" Urahara said as he slid the door open and stepped into the room with them. "… Your arm, that is." He smirked. Judging by the pile of empty dishes stacked up around her, Yoruichi had been keeping Seren rather busy in the kitchen. The poor girl was still wearing her frilly, pink apron since she hadn't had time to take it off before Yoruichi had called for her to bring out the last bowl.

"Yeah, I guess. My arm and leg aren't giving me any problems when handling everyday tasks." Yoruichi replied as she picked up her teacup and started drinking. "Hey, Seren, can I get some more tea?"

"Sure. I'll go heat some more water." Seren said, nodding as she got up and headed back to the kitchen again.

"What about in a fight?" Urahara asked.

Yoruichi paused.

"It was a mistake to fight him without using shunkō… I didn't think an arrancar's skin would have such dense spiritual pressure." She admitted. Yoruichi set her cup down. "Kisuke… Those guys are tough. Much tougher… than you and I had anticipated." She said seriously as she and Urahara exchanged a knowing glance. It was a good thing Seren had decided she wanted to fight with them.

They would be needing all the help that they could get.


End file.
